How many times have we as business leaders thought that if we can just outsmart, outmaneuver or outpace our competitors, the business would be ours for the taking?  Especially in commodity driven marketplaces where the competition is fierce and many, just to be able to separate ourselves on something other than price might make all the difference in the world.

You may have heard of or even read a great book, Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne (blueoceanstrategy.com).  In it there are very practical illustrations about how companies have made their competition irrelevant and created a new marketplace where only their products exist and thrive.

Similarly comes the attached blog posting from Kaihan Krippendorff (http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kaihan-krippendorff/outthinker-mavericks-out-innovate-competition/force-your-competition-defend).  Krippendorff is a master strategist.  He was first recommended to me by Verne Harnish from Gazelles.  His books, The Art of the Advantage, The Way of Innovation and Hide a Dagger Behind a Smile all speak to gaining the upper hand on competition and creating a space in the marketplace where you succeed.

I recommend both these resources as opportunities to be in a place where your competitors have not dreamed of being and realizing your business goals.