Thinking differently has been a core part of my life philosophy. Back in high school I took a class on Robert Frost poetry, and my favorite poem was his classic verse, “The Road Not Taken,” which is about not following the crowd. (Please click here to visit The Poetry Foundation to view the poem.) It’s a motivational piece about determining your own path through life. It’s about owning your destiny and not taking the easy path. It’s about thinking differently, being creative and taking chances.
A story that inspires me is about Red Sox starting pitcher Steven Wright. A few years ago, he was an average relief pitcher in the minor leagues when he realized that unless he made a change then his career was going to end soon. He wasn’t particularly special in what he had for skills among other relief pitchers. After an assessment, he decided to learn how to throw the knuckleball, which is still a very uncommon, but effective pitch. It revitalized his career and currently in 2016, he is at the top of the game because he chose to do something differently. He set himself apart; he created a competitive advantage for himself.
“Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”
-Michael Porter, Harvard Business School
Here are a few considerations in showing courage for taking the other path:
- Creativity, bold decisions, and risk taking. Courage is key to separating yourself from the crowd. Your natural approach is probably to copy what you have witnessed others doing. You say to yourself that you want to advance in your career and you believe you have to do what “Chris”, a manager in another department, did. What has set you apart? What new ideas did you develop, and did you have the courage to present them?
- Ignoring the criticism. Thinking and acting differently will get you criticized quickly especially by more senior leaders and peers. Developing a way to close out the criticism will enable you to move forward. I do recommend meeting your obligations, but over-deliver the expectation. Gain credibility through excellent work and provide a visionary and optimistic outlook in everything you do.
- Take action. You will constantly see my “Take Action” point throughout my writing. Taking action is the difference with millions of people in this world. People usually sit back, complain and wait for others to take action on their behalf or do nothing at all. Go after your goals and dreams. You have to decide to fulfill your destiny.
Leadership is about choices and prioritizing. It’s about challenging the status quo and creating necessary change in your organization. This topic is usually discussed at graduation ceremonies and other similar moving on moments, but how often do people heed the advice? Do we settle on a career by following everyone else and just check the blocks in each stage of our lives?
“You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.”
-Sammy Davis, Jr., entertainer
Among the competition, you really need to find your niche, your unique way to make change, and your way to lead the organization to great success. You can replicate what has been successful, but the great champions of excellence did not follow the crowd, but, in fact, blazed their own trails. The final lines of the Robert Frost poem state that he took the “…one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
What unique choices have you made that led to a positive difference in your career and life?
Copyright 2016-Stephen McLain