How to beat Goliath

Because size doesn’t matter

I have formulated 6 rules which I call David’s rules. These are for anyone facing the big one – the big apparently insurmountable challenge which the whole world tells you to run away from. But you are among those who are uniquely deaf to the advice of those who are too frightened to think straight. You are among those to whom personal safety is not Goal # 1 in life. You are among those who recognize that everything has a price and that if you want to achieve great things, you have to be prepared to pay the price they demand. It’s not that you don’t recognize the danger. To recognize danger is a sign of intelligence and you are no fool. It is that you are willing to take the risk for the reward. So you ignore the advice and step forward.

David’s Rules

Rule # 1 – Take the first step forward

• Unless you take the first step forward, nothing will happen.
• Once you take the first step, the universe conspires to make you succeed.
• It is safer to stay in the ranks and do nothing but it is only the General who gets to call the shots. And Generals don’t stand in the ranks.
• The choice is yours and every choice has a price. You pay, you get.

Rule # 2 – Confound Goliath

• Goliath does not make the rules so that you can win.
• If you play by Goliath’s rules, Goliath will win every time.
• Understand the rules – then break them.
• Make your own rules & play by them.

Rule # 3 – Only effort produces results

• Talent is what you are given; what you are born with.
• Effort is what you make. Effort supports talent. Effort always wins when talent is not making effort.
• In the end it is the effort that brings the results, not the talent if there is no effort.
• So don’t ask, “What talent do I have?” Ask, “What effort am I making?
• David made effort using his unique talent. The rest is history.

Rule # 4 – Strength always overcomes weakness

• Play to your strength because you can do that best.
• David was a shepherd, so he used a slingshot.
• Don’t be overawed by competition, because the winning post is only at the end of the race.
• In the end, it is not the weapon but whether it scored, that counts.
• It is not the brand of your shoes but your speed that makes the difference

Rule # 5 – Never compromise your legacy

• Stay focused no matter what the distractions.
• Remember, winning is all that counts…..and how you win is a part of that.
• Winning without honor is losing in the worst way.
• Nobility is a factor of ‘How’ not of ‘What’. Glory is only for the noble.

Rule # 6 – Always Thank People

• Express gratitude to all those who helped you.
• An attitude of gratitude is the best networking hack in the world.
• It is true that you owe your success to your own effort but some of it was made standing on the shoulders of others. And even if you forget that, they won’t.
• Gratitude builds bridges; for you never know when you will need one to cross.
• Thank people because every ending is a new beginning.

I believe very passionately and firmly in the fact that in the end, it is quality that scores over everything else. I know that every entrepreneur worth the name shares this belief with me. I have met many along the way who cut corners, pretended to be what they were not and compromised quality for short term gain. Most of them no longer exist. Those who do, live with a reputation that constantly sabotages their effort.

I believe that all that we do or choose not to do defines our brand and reflects our character. Therefore all initiatives and effort must be measured against this standard to see if it stands up to the mark. Compromising standards and values for gains is a very expensive bargain and adds no value at all. Indeed the most profitable way to run a business is to work to the highest standards and become the standard bearer in the industry against which others measure themselves.

Then you can claim a premium where your competitors are busy competing on price.

‘Buy from me because I am cheap’, is a slogan I never liked.