DAVID
RENDALL
loses focus and tries to do both. Their
historical leadership in discount retail was
based on the blue-light special, a symbol
of low prices. However, they did not focus
exclusively on this price advantage and
began to lose customers to Walmart.
Kmart then began adding designer
products from celebrities like Martha
Stewart, but wasn’t quite ready to shed
their low-price image. This allowed Target
to capture higher-income customers that
were design conscious. Kmart’s failure to
focus ultimately led to bankruptcy. They
weren’t the best at anything, so customers
had no reason to shop there. Their failure
illustrates the dangers of doing both, of
trying to be well-rounded.
There is a compelling reason to go to
Walmart, low prices. There is a compelling
reason to go to Target, a better shopping
experience. There is not a compelling
reason to go to Kmart, so people don’t.
This is very important. If you try to be
everything to everybody, you’ll end up
being nothing to nobody.
APPRECIATION - WE SUCCEED BECAUSE
OF OUR WEAKNESSES, NOT IN SPITE OF
THEM
“Every limit is a beginning as well as
an ending.”
-GEORGE ELIOT
Dyslexia is a disability. People with dyslexia
get letters and words mixed up and this
leads to major problems with reading and
writing. This, in turn, is a major barrier to
success. Or is it?
A recent study showed that 35% of small
business owners have dyslexia. This is
surprising because only 10% of Americans
have dyslexia, but they make up more than
33% of entrepreneurs in the US.
Another study found that people with
dyslexia are far more likely to become
millionaires. In fact, almost half of the
millionaires in the study had dyslexia.
Examples of wealthy dyslexics include
Virgin founder, Richard Branson, JetBlue
founder, David Neeleman, and Kinko’s
founder, Paul Orfalea. The subtitle of
Orfalea’s book is Lessons from a Hyperactive
Dyslexic who Turned a Bright Idea into One of
America’s Best Companies. Rudolph discovers that his nose isn’t
really a weakness. In the right situation,
a “foggy Christmas Eve,” Rudolph’s nose
is an irreplaceable advantage. When
the situation changed, the value of his
unique characteristic changed as well. He
didn’t succeed in spite of his weakness;
he succeeded because of his weakness.
Rudolph’s success was a result of a perfect
fit between his unique qualities and the
situation.
How does this happen? What explains
their success? Do you want to succeed? Find your foggy
Christmas Eve. Find the right situation,
the one that offers the perfect fit between
who you are and what is required. Unlike
Rudolph, we don’t have to just wait for the
right situation to come along, we can seek
it out or even create it.
It seems that dyslexia is a two-edged sword.
The obvious weaknesses are accompanied
by important strengths. When asked if his
dyslexia has hindered his business success,
Richard Branson said, “strangely, I think
my dyslexia has helped.”
Experts suggest that people with
dyslexia are often better than most at
being “creative and looking at the bigger
picture” and this can make them better
strategic thinkers. Daniel Pink, author
of A Whole New Mind, believes that some
of these advantages might result from a
greater ability to use the right side of the
brain. They don’t focus on their disability.
Instead, they focus on their unique abilities.
If you want greater happiness, success and
fulfillment, follow these four steps.
Become aware of your unique
characteristics.
Accept your weaknesses, instead of trying
to fix them.
Appreciate the strengths that correspond
with each of your weaknesses.
Create alignment between who you are
and what you do. +
ALIGNMENT - DON’T FORCE YOURSELF
TO FIT IN. FIND THE RIGHT FIT.
“Every individual has a place to fill in
the world and is important in some
respect.”
-NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was
different. He had a major and obvious flaw.
This flaw made him unpopular and led
to rejection and isolation. It looked like
Rudolph was destined for a life of pain and
misery, but then the situation changed.
David Rendall has spoken to audiences on
every inhabited continent. His clients include
the US Air Force, the Australian Government,
AT&T, State Farm Insurance, Ralph Lauren,
and BASF. Prior to becoming a professional
speaker, he was a management professor,
stand-up comedian and endurance athlete.
He earned a doctor of management degree
in organizational leadership, as well as a
graduate degree in psychology, and is the
author of three books.
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