Forget faster, cheaper, or "better"

Embrace differences, not superlatives

Am I going to find my place in the world or make my place in the world?”
– Christopher Lochhead

Faster, cheaper, and “better” are lousy vectors as a business differentiator, or for a marketing offer—or just to be, as a human, in the world.

Faster attracts a fickle crowd. And while faster is a function of expertise, it can’t be your only selling point; it relies on too many factors outside your control.

Cheaper is a losing route unless you’re immaculately funded and own factories in China. It’s a race to the bottom among the people at the top.

Better means chaining yourself to some external: your competition, technology, or the status quo. And it’s murky. Better for you might be worse for me.

Be different instead

Faster, cheaper, and “better” doom you to reactivity, to obsessing over numbers and the competition. When they shift, you shift too, even when it conflicts with your goals or values (Be careful what you get good at).

What if you were obsessed with your customer instead? This means understanding how you fit into their world. Being able to answer, from their point of view, what makes you different?

Forget faster, cheaper, better, smarter, prettier, thinner, trendier, brighter, whiter, fitter, happier, more productive.

To be “different” is nothing more than to be yourself.