Never be me too

Early on in my career, I was part of a joint team to assist a technology company in their development efforts concerning digital copiers. We went on a "benchmarking" trip to a Japanese competitor. During the trip, the Japanese company allowed us to take any pictures we liked. At the end of the trip, one of the executives revealed to the competitor's representative that, in the US, we would never allow such photographs for fear of our work being copied. The Japanese representative's reply was something to the effect of, "We would enjoy it if you spent your time copying and reinventing anything you have seen on this trip. That way we will know you will always be 18 months to 3 years behind us." I will never forget the chilled look on the face of the American executive, who, at that moment, could see the future bankruptcy of his company coming, along with their exit as an effective competitor in the digital copier market. That experience, along with other experiences, helped me realize any efforts to be a "Me, Too!" player, that is to say directly copy a competitor, is a guaranteed path to self-destruction.

What I eventually learned is how to innovate beyond competitors -- the importance of innovating in the space you've defined for your company. For you, there is something more important than worrying about what your competitors are doing; that is being true to the identity you have defined for your business in the marketplace, and what makes your business unique.