This last week I had the opportunity to hear a keynote address from Shawn Anchor, the Author of The Happiness Advantage. His entire speech was inspiring but he said one phrase in particular that has been spinning in my head that I wanted to share.
He said, “It is no longer Survival of the Fittest but Survival of the BEST FIT.” What a thought provoking idea. Survival of the Fittest has long been an idea that sprouted from Darwinian theory of evolution in which only the strongest and most successful people or things continue to exist. While the original discussion of this idea was in reference to organisms and species it has since been used in the business world to suggest that only the strongest and most aggressive people will rise to the top. There may have been some truth to this in the past BUT in a world that is changing constantly, the person that will rise to the top is the one that is the BEST FIT.
What does it mean to be the BEST FIT?
I recently decided that it was time to get a few new suits. Suits my other suits had not been worn much over the past couple of years due to Covid reducing my attendance to “suit-worthy” events it was time for a change. The need for change was created by both a changing body composition AND style trends. There were 3 components that went into creating the “BEST FIT” as it pertained to my new threads. 1) my body shape, 2) the new suit and 3) the tailor that was going to make the necessary adjustments for the best fit. All three components had to come together to create the BEST FIT. So how does this apply to you in both your professional and personal life?
YOU Must be the Best Fit
Much like my new suit, there are 3 components that must be considered in creating the Best Fit for you and your key relationships. 1) Understanding the current environment and economy that we live in, 2) knowing the needs and concerns of the customers and sphere of influence, 3) tailoring your value proposition to be able to address your customers needs in the current economic landscape.
How to become the Best Fit
To not only survive, but to thrive, you have to actively work to be THE BEST FIT every day. If you agree the world is changing daily and that your customers’ needs are changing daily, THEN you also have to agree that you MUST be evolving daily as well. Follow these 3 tips to achieve this:
- Stay current on world events, economic trends and industry news daily. Commit 20-30 minutes a day to this.
- The best way to understand your customers’ needs is to ask them. Commit to at least 5 conversations per day where you ask your customers what their specific needs and concerns are. Be vulnerable and share your concerns and what you are learning as the industry expert (to do this you must commit to #1)
- Ask your self daily “What must I learn today to become the BEST FIT for my customers based on the current economy?” Identify the gap, then commit to learning more about that topic and developing the skills and habits that make that a new strength.
Be prepared to watch some of the biggest names in your industry disappear as they continue to embrace Survival of the Fittest, continuing to use the same strategies and ideas that matched the needs and market of yesterday. The new shining stars will be the ones that commit to the idea of Survival of the BEST FIT. Will that be you? If so, I will see you at the top.
Go live life on your terms!
Marcus