In 1996 I was lucky enough to spend 3 months on safari in Africa. It was some of the most memorable time in my life. The wildlife, the scenery the people, all amazing.
During that trip I witnessed the spectacle of the migration of the Wildebeest across the plains of the Serengeti. Two million of these majestic animals running passed you is pretty special, very noisy and unforgettable.
The trip however is not your average road trip for the Wildebeest themselves. It’s treacherous both in terrain and also many predators along the way.
Most notably are the Lions. They wait patiently and strike when the time is right. Many of the animals don’t make the journey but thankfully the majority do.
Reflecting on this recently it struck me that the key to the masses making it safely to their destination in the Masai Mara in Kenya, is not that they were all faster than the Lions, they are not.
Individually they just needed to be faster the the slowest Wildebeest.
The key to success in business too is similar. We can’t all be the fastest, or the best in our field but if we are metaphorically faster than our closest competitors, we will survive to tell the tail.
Keep this in mind when setting your goals. “The best x in the world” is too high and likely unachievable. The best in the street, suburb, town, state are better stepping stones and more achievable along the great journey of business.
