My Unfair Advantage Week #11

V – valuable • R – rare   • I – inimitable  • N – non-substitutable

Passion

·        V – My passion is valuable because I could do this venture all day and keep on throughout the night regardless of what else I must do.

·       R – At the end of the movie, Serendipity, one of the main characters makes this statement: “The Greeks did not write obituaries. They simply asked, ‘Did he have passion?’” This quote is inspiring because it suggests that we should live with gusto – with excitement and wonder – so that when we pass away, we will rest contented, having employed fully the unique talents with which we were blessed?

·       I – Few people discover the work the love and for this reason, people cannot imitate my passion for my idea.

·        N – Passion in innate and helps to engage an organization. Once you discover the work you love, work becomes more than a job – it becomes a unique calling, a life’s mission. A life’s mission cannot be substituted by any other resource than passion.

Motivated

·       V – My motivation is intrinsic and it energizes, maintains and controls my behavior.

·       R – Motivation, like passion, is a rare commodity. Very few people have it consistently and in useful quantities.

·       I – Motivation refers to the energy and/or commitment with which an individual performs a task or role. Because of my experiential background, no one can be more motivated that I.

·        N – While there is no real substitute for motivation, I would say that discipline would be the closest substitute for motivation, and it is discipline that eventually becomes a huge source for motivation.

Adaptability & Flexibility

·       V – There is a well-known Chinese proverb that says that the wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher. I have a keen ability to change to fit new circumstances. I have no problem getting out of my comfort zone.

·       R – The reason there are not more entrepreneurs is because many people might have passion about an idea, but are inflexible in their own environment.

·       I – I think one can pretend to be adaptable and flexible, however, when push comes to shove, their inability to adapt shines through. Change frightens some people while is seen as an opportunity to others. Again, because of my background I am quite adaptable to all situations, except ethical, moral or legal.

·        N – The only resource I can see that would be substituted for adaptability would be tolerance. You can be tolerant, yet inflexible on major issues.

Self-belief

·       V – Because of my experience I believe in myself. I know that what I am doing is not for myself, but for the benefit of society. I am confident and dedicated to my project.

·       R – Self – belief is like a pendulum – it swings too far one way where people believe in themselves TOO much, and then it swings back to the other side so some people believe in themselves TOO little.

·       I – Self-belief can be imitated by pretending to believe in yourself. I have done this at times until I could believe in myself.

·        N – Self-belief can be substituted, as mentioned above, by positive self-talk until you actually do believe in yourself.

Hard work

·       V – Having an intense focus in my idea is by far a valuable resource.

·       R – A work ethic is a set of values based on moral virtues of hard work and diligence. It is difficult today to find someone as reliable as I am, or as having as much initiative to accomplish my goals.

·       I – Hard work can be copied by others with no problem, it is just the fact that it is hard to find someone working hard today.

·        N – I grew up hearing the old adage: “There is no substitute for hard work.” I still believe that idea, however, I have learned to work smart – and not hard – in some situations.

Disciplined

·       V – I would say discipline is the most basic and building block of success. You can figure out the rest of these resources, however, without discipline, you can’t be successful.

·        R – Discipline is a rare commodity in a microwave society. Foregoing immediate gratification for a future reward is something in which this generation does not understand. I have the uncanny ability to discipline myself regardless of what other events happen around me. One can see in professional sports, where some amazing athletes take performance enhancing drugs, to win events.

·       I – Discipline cannot be imitated, even though there are varying levels of discipline.

·        N – I see no good resource that could be substituted for discipline.

Understanding of what I am offering

·       V – Having experience in child neglect and abuse, plus a friend who has a missing child, gives me a deeper understanding than most others without the same experience.

·       R – Because it is rare for someone to have a missing child, understanding of this situation is quite rate.

·       I – Deep understanding – inside and out - cannot be imitated by an outward concern.

·        N – There is no real substitute for experience in this type of venture.

Planner

·       V – Planning is a long-term commitment but you cannot always plan every step of the way in one sitting. I am the type of person who plans for everything, while having a ready solution for all possible risks. Moreover, I am capable of dealing with unforeseen possibilities, which is vital to the life of a business.

·       R – My experience shows most people are reactionary, whereas I am proactive in practice. Being reactive shows that one does not have initiative, but appear to be tossed and turned by the tides of life.

·       I – It is pretty difficult to imitate planning. Either you plan or you fly-by- the-seat-of-your-pants or your plan. Sometimes you can over-plan which zaps creativity, but most people are not guilty of over-planning, but rather they lack the discipline to plan.

·        N – There is an old saying: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Occasionally, you can recoup and start over, but a continual lack of planning is organizational suicide.

Network abilities

·       V – It takes a village! Using others for their good and your gain makes any venture easier and more successful. In sales, networking is invaluable for potential clients or vendors. Networking helps you work smarter, not harder. I always seek out mentors.

·       R – We live in an over-connected world and navigating this social media to find purpose and meaningful networks can be daunting. Learning to connect intelligently in order to harness our connectedness, is a rare commodity.

·       I – There isn’t really a resource that can be imitated for networking abilities. Either you know how to connect in order to network to get big things done, or you are at the mercy of other advertising strategies.

·        N – The only real substitute for networking is “pounding the pavement” when looking for clients.

Ability to make an Exit

·       V – Not every attempt is successful as we see in the high rate of entrepreneurial failure. Like the old country star, Kenny Rogers says: “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away………know when to run.” This is valuable or otherwise, you will continue to make sunk cost investments in the same venture.

·       R – Cutting losses is rare among individuals – we see that in people who stay in toxic and dysfunctional relationships. There are people who quit too soon – and who end up employed by those who never give up.  

·       I – There is no resource that can be imitated by the ability to quit, only that people know when and why to quit and move on.

·        N – While giving it a second chance is powerful and at times, honorable, there is no substitute for making a gracious exit at the right time.  

Discipline is my top resource because when I get my teeth into something for which I have deep passion, I don’t let go. I believe discipline is a common trait of all successful leaders. If you take a look at successful business leader or professional athletes, you will see that discipline is the one key element. Discipline is a fundamental element in obtaining goals, dreams and desires. I have climbed over many obstacles to keep heading toward my goals, and although there have been some sacrifices along the journey, but believing in my journey has kept me plodding forward. Years ago, a pilot friend told me the first thing they are taught in any emergency situation is to “keep flying the plane.” In my life most of the time I just keep flying the plane. I have disciplined myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other in the midst of some pretty deep waters and my discipline has taken me from an orphan to the halls of Congress where I was instrumental in facilitating the enactment of homeschooling laws in Tennessee.