The Best Don’t Always Win
Being good enough is not enough. Others must also know that you are good. But you are never going to be the absolute best. There will always be someone better than you. Such is the world. In that case, all you have to do is be more popular than the person who is better than you.
That’s how brands always win. The brands at the top aren’t necessarily the best ones. They are there because they won the race for popularity. Social media has made this abundantly clear. You will often find the best content coming from people who aren’t making an effort to be popular. Meanwhile, the most popular ones are often just regurgitating what others wrote eons ago.
This applies even in corporates. The most hardworking employee is seldom the one who gets rewarded. The most popular ones do. This isn’t necessarily sycophancy or company bias. It is simply that some people are better at popularising themselves and their talent, long before the actual, and perhaps better, version gets an opportunity to spread.
That is the whole trick. That is why they say no publicity is bad publicity. Because all publicity is doing the same job: bringing you to the forefront. No celebrity’s career has necessarily been destroyed by the leak of a sex tape. In fact, some become even more popular. Nobody gives two hoots about who does it better. All they care about is who they know.
A lot of the features in iPhones have been prevalent in other smartphones for years, but they weren’t popular. Apple is the most popular brand, and so people associate many of these features with Apple. The fact that Apple has executed them brilliantly has also worked in its favour.
So the takeaway is not just to focus on being good and disciplined. Focus also on distribution. Of yourself. Of your talent. To as many people as possible. In whatever way you think is possible. Do not hesitate to look foolish in front of people. The important thing is to become a well-known face, a well-known name.
Of course, don’t become the butt of every joke by making a fool of yourself. The goal is not to focus too much on rejection and embarrassment. Be well prepared, and do not hesitate to talk to people. Make sure people know you and what you represent.
Skill alone is not enough.