Follow the leader (that’s you)

I often say to business owners that being the first to be “climate-first” in their industry, could offer a unique competitive advantage – at least until the next business follows suit.

I then – sometimes blindly – follow with “and that’s the point – goal 1 is making the changes yourself; goal 2 is recruiting more warriors (or businesses) to take up the fight by following your lead“.

The thing I fail to appreciate, is that recruiting others could mean waving goodbye to your unique advantage.

And this creates a hesitation – do I start my program now, knowing others will catch me; or do I hold off until it’s perfect, unbeatable, and strides ahead that no one can catch us… but that could be a while.

The truth is, you never know whether your competitive advantage is safe. You might build the most unshakable climate action program in your industry, but a competitor with resources could pop up out of the blue (as you did) and simply copy, match, and surpass you.

(This is where I’d be jumping in with my “that’s the point” speech, which I still believe here – but I totally get the discomfort with conceding the advantage”).

So… what to do?

One approach might be a “follow the leader” strategy:

Make a point to be not just the leading climate warrior in your industry, but also it’s key climate educator.

Build the industry playbook; own the industry resources and knowledge; deliver the industry training; hand out the industry certification.

Lead the way and help others in your industry pick up the baton, while retaining your advantage… most likely cementing it.