Imagine this:
An epidemic is expected to hit your city. You’re offered two rescue programs:
– Program A: 200 people will be saved
– Program B: 400 people will die
Which one do you choose?
Now another example:
Would you prefer a burger that’s 60% fat or 40% lean?
Both cases were studied by Kahneman and Tversky. They discovered the framing effect 🧠 — the way a question is asked changes the answer we give.
Now think about how you frame strategic questions.
If you ask:
“How can we be better than our competitors?” — you might improve slightly.
If you ask:
“How can we become the best?” — you might outperform a few others.
But if you want a real breakthrough, stop chasing “better” or “best”.
You need to be different 🚀
Trying to be better is like fighting for space at the door of a crowded elevator.
To grow, you need to step out and build your own elevator 🛗
In hundreds of strategy sessions I’ve run, one pattern is clear:
When companies ask
🟢 “How can we do it differently from our competitors?”,
they generate far more bold, original ideas than when they ask
🔴 “How can we do it better?”
Think of truly innovative products — Netflix, Tesla, IKEA.
They weren’t the best. They were different.
Want better answers? Start with better questions. ❓
What’s one way your company could stop competing and start creating its own category?