When you play video games, it is not uncommon to want to be allocated the role of Player One, with your name, data and gameplay information in the space you are used to. There’s a familiarity playing this role on the remote you are used to, and in the format most games generally present the information in.
Anyone who has siblings, or friends who used to come round to play, and seen Just Dance games in action, has likely experienced, or observed the embarrassment of thinking you were Player 2, Jazzy, and you were actually playing as Player 3, Crazy, and your score being dramatically different to what you had believed it to be.
But, when you are entering the world of business, sometimes knowing that the hard-graft of creating a desired market in the gaps can be a blessing in disguise. As Adam Grant acknowledged in his anecdotes during his 2016 TED Talk: The Surprising Habits Of Original Thinkers, Warby Parker, a company that launched in 2010, was a success; being acknowledged at the time as the most innovative company, and were then valued at being worth over a billion US dollars. Grant acknowledged that prior to the launch of the company, he had been offered the opportunity to invest in this company but declined, and how, in hindsight, that had been a mistake.
The video acknowledged that what would become Warby Parker, did objectively appear like it would be a success. This is because the college-aged innovators that Grant had been teaching, had been reserved; taking summer internships while planning their business venture, and having back-up employment in place for after graduation etc. and in doing so they missed what is often referred to as the first mover advantage. However, instead, they were able to watch other people fill the gaps in the market, so they can improve upon observing their shortcomings.
When new businesses begin to appear, targeting pre-existing markets, they don’t automatically fail. For example, when Toys R Us (est 1957 – 2017) closed its doors, and yet, behind them appeared to be the rise of a rather similar company, Smyths Toy Superstores. Although both had been around for a long time previously, one managed to survive where the other fell. Prior to 2017, Smyths did not advertise on TV, as the television market was very much Toys R Us’ domain. Now, despite the number of years since Toys R Us closed its doors, both companies have been renowned for colourful and musical adverts. The Toys R Us adverts, have since been laden with nostalgia, singing about how magical the store filled with a vast variety of toys actually was. Despite the way Toys R Us left the market, the company’s famous adverts were thought upon positively; there is a familiarity in the nature that Smyths advertises. The recent If I Were A Toy ad campaign showing off a range of products, animated and enjoying their adventures and games with children.
Furthermore, is similar to strategies used in sports. Many would have criticised Gareth Southgate after Euro 2020 ended in England losing to Italy on penalties. It was not uncommon in the days and weeks following to hear fans complaining that there were many more experienced penalty takers on the team than the ones Southgate chose to let shoot, but, in having players with less real-world experience take the shot meant their opponent could not profile how they may respond. With more experience comes more videos, and more videos means more opportunities to analyse how they move.
Based in London, U.K., and founded in 2016 by Arvind Mishra The Agile Works (www.TheAgileWorks.com), is an up-and-coming recruitment and Agile consulting company. Arvind is a Certified SAFe SPC and regularly delivers both private and public SAFe certification workshops.
He is a design thinking expert, Sr. enterprise, portfolio Agile Coach with over a decade of experience working as an Agile coach in diverse industries such as banking, pharma, retail, auto, oil, gas, consulting and government.
The Agile Works; a small team of three strive to help shape the leadership's mind-set and values in readiness for their business transformation journey challenges. With Arvind at the helm, we strive to provide you with the agility tools to make your company that can thrive, and not just survive.
To book a consultation, or for any enquiries, you can contact Arvind via the following email address: arvind@theagileworks.com
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