Consider Competitive Intelligence
By Heather D
There is a new book out now by Leonard M. Fuld titled, The Secret Language of Competitive Intelligence. Reading a review of the book, I thought there was an interesting adaptation for applying competitive intelligence for yourself as part of a team, workgroup, or other collective network.
The premise of the book is “How to See Through & Stay Ahead of Business Disruptions, Distortions, Rumors, and Smokescreens.” While targeted for business-to-business, the idea strikes me that even at a micro level, this book has a lot of relevance for how people could leverage this competitive advantage for themselves.
Ultimately, the book is about examining behaviors, patterns, actions, and lack of action to determine what strategies are in place around you and what strategies you should take to be successful.
In this light, I thought to start the week, I would offer some basic ideas to keep ahead and consider “competitive intelligence.”
Collect. Incorporate. Act.
Collect.
- Gather information.
- Always be on the look out for new tips and techniques.
- Be open to many new ideas at once.
- Analyze “old” problems with new solutions.
- Make sure you have a clear mindset and approach for what you do in your role everday.
- Don’t become paralyzed by the amount of learning you need to do. Welcome it as part of your personal and team’s growth and success.
- Keep your vision clear – for yourself and for your team.
- Analyze the ever-changing landscape.
- Identify resistance. (Are you or others around you resisting? What barriers to success are there to break through?)
- Understand what it means to be a stakeholder.
- Appreciate what everyone else has at stake.
Incorporate.
- Become an expert.
- Develop a skill set necessary and valuable.
- Share your expertise and lead!
- Apply what you learn regularly.
- Spend your time wisely on what you do best.
- Strive for being efficient at your strengths.
- Remember you are part of a team, a workgroup, a network.
- Realize how others rely upon you.
- Identify how you can contribute and achieve greater success (for yourself and others).
- Use a system that makes you and others more efficient.
- Strive for “repeatable success.”
Act.
- Work towards the big picture.
- Strike quickly. Don’t delay. Act.
- Don’t make things harder than they are.
- Evaluate priorities.
- Do things well.
- Create iteratively.
- Synchronize with your team, stakeholders, network regularly.
- Communicate clearly and often.
- Operate honestly (Be honest to yourself, your peers, your stakeholders, your management, your customers…)
- Take a step back and look at your progress and your goals.
- Look ahead, but always stop to acknowledge your successes.
- Look at every challenge and solution with a 360 degree view.
- Keep focused on the purpose, mission, wants/needs/desires, requirements, requests, agendas.
- Be willing to fail! (Yep, I said it! – See Business Week, July 10, 2006, Eureka! We Failed!)
- Make adjustments.
- Respond to feedback as a positive driver.
- Be flexible.
- Strive to be the best for yourself and for your collective team.
