Why fit in when you can stand out?! is one of my mantras so I was over the moon when Alan Ibbotson (episode 6 "Resilience) introduced me to my guest for this episode, Austin McGhie, the visionary author of "Find Your Difference: Challenging Conformity in Business and in Life.”
Just like we value IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional intelligence) we should value our DQ (difference quotient) because embracing difference over status quo leads to growth, innovation and making the world a better place.
Austin is the co-founder (with Alpa Pandya) of Find Difference, a marketing strategy consultancy specializing in positioning. He's a self-described "over marketer" with a staggering list of credits including telling a nascent MSNBC to seize the opportunity and be the liberal news network (which they built one anchor at a time) and changed the culture by encouraging Dove to celebrate real women with what become the iconic Dove Real Beauty campaign.
Trust him when he says niche is not a four letter word, that better is not different and that focus narrow, catch wide is the winning strategy.
Vive la différence!