The Competitive Analysis Trap
Lutke: If you compete with another company, very quickly you get into — we need a version of what they have. The Xerox strategy. There are companies where the most active channel in their Slack is their competitive analysis channel, where people just bring everything everyone else is doing.
While that has some merit, the problem is it makes companies very reactionary.
Companies whose most active Slack channel is competitive analysis become very reactionary.
Mimicry Is Not Excellence
Lutke: In art — part of everyone's art studies — early fine arts, you copy the great pieces. You make copies of great works. But your next painting is not at the quality of a Van Gogh you just copied.
Mimicry is actually not an excellent way of getting to excellence. And companies end up falling very much into this.
You copy the great works. But your next painting isn't Van Gogh. Mimicry is not a path to excellence.
Agassi Could Not Have Been Agassi Without Sampras
Lutke: If you treat other companies in your space as rivals, much easier to have a positive-sum outcome. Because rivalries inspire you to be your best.
Agassi could not have been Agassi without Sampras being there. He very clearly states this in his book. The Agassi that existed — Agassi understood Sampras wasn't a real person. Then he read Sampras's biography. He just liked tennis. And Agassi hated it. The rivalry he created for himself created him in a very real way.
Agassi could not have been Agassi without Sampras. The rivalry created him in a very real way.
Jordan Made Up a Slight
Lutke: In The Last Dance — which I loved — Michael Jordan admits that he might have made up a slight at some point. To me, that is one of the most profound moments.
Jordan admits he might have made up a slight. To Lutke, one of the most profound moments.