18 Chapter
You Are Your Competitive Advantage

If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.

—Jack Welch

Some of the situations you just read about may seem minor or obvious. Remember what bothers you about working with others and how that has affected the overall interaction or longevity of the relationship. If at any point in your career someone looked at you and thought, He did that?! or She did that?! you have decreased your chances of success. Each day gives you an opportunity to make the day work to your advantage. As Stephen Covey says, “Begin with the end in mind.” Each morning, ask yourself where you want to be in your career. Make sure everything you do that day supports your goal. Don’t allow things that could be prevented to get in your way.

Challenge yourself daily to exceed all expectations. Remember that you can be whoever you set your mind to be and do whatever you set out to do. If you stay focused, you will become a true professional.

Your opportunities for growth in business are endless if your technical and people skills are fine-tuned. As we mentioned, luck is when opportunity meets preparedness. Keep this in mind as you begin each day. You—and only you—are in charge of how lucky you will be. Your skills for managing situations successfully, with confidence and absolute clarity, can be powerful tools. If you fail to invest in yourself, you fail the preparedness part of the equation.

When it comes to competition, we can agree that not everyone wins. It is important to reflect on your past failures and learn from them. If you want to get better, you must do some root-cause analysis to uncover what you can change to improve next time. If you are being passed over for a promotion, not receiving an opportunity for a second interview, or not being assigned the quality of work you believe you are capable of, then find out why.

As you encounter others in all business situations, take note of what works and what doesn’t work in terms of influence and impact. So often the lessons we need to learn to set us apart can be witnessed daily. If you are aware of your surroundings and have specific goals to help develop your professionalism, you will find lessons in action. Each day, thoughts, habits, and priorities you chose, both good and bad, will determine your results. Take time to plan the possibilities, and then execute in the moment.

Another way to stay ahead of your competition is to do your research. Invest time and money in magazines, books, news sources, blogs, and conversations. Ask questions, search for topics and content, and process what you learn. So often, people research like crazy to obtain a job, yet fail to continue the research to get the next job. Set yourself apart and contribute interesting statistics and content in an effort to impact your business. If you are prepared for every business circumstance, you will find that, indeed, you are your competitive advantage!