Someone Is Better at It Than You Are

There is only one number one, only one best at anything. Thankfully, we live in an environment where even the tenth-best or the hundredth-best business may make some money. But why not try to learn something from the leaders?

Set aside your ego. Recognize that someone may be better than you are at what you do. Admit it - and then set your sights on becoming even better.

Who else makes what you do, sells what you do, or provides the same service you do - and is more successful at it? If you don’t try to understand what they are doing better, you don’t really want to win.

You see, another business fact is that sometimes number one slips and becomes number two or number three. Find a competitor that is more successful than you. Identify what they do better, combine that with your strengths, and then work harder or smarter. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll be number one someday.

[Ed. Note: Author and businessman John L. Herman Jr. ("Herman"), who has owned more than 20 companies, has become an expert on why businesses fail. The above article was excerpted with permission from Hermanisms: Axioms for Business and Life. For more information about Herman and his business writing, please visit Hermanisms.com.]