Conformity and conventional thinking are all too common and impede innovation in the public and private sectors. Dr. Eric J. Romero, author of Compete Outside the Box: The Unconventional Way to Beat the Competition, says "fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way."
Well-known unconventional firms are setting the example of how unconventional thinking can unleash creativity and flexibility (Apple, Google, Southwest Airlines, Cirque du Soleil, etc.), and as a result, they beat the competition repeatedly.
Dr. Romero says "unconventional leadership is the key to their success because it produces innovation, flexibility and risk-taking."
Unconventional leaders are unconventional thinkers, but what does that mean exactly? Unconventional thinkers stand out compared to most people. They are not restricted by what other people think or do. Unconventional thinkers re-evaluate everything, including their beliefs and assumptions, and change them if necessary. They like change and are willing to try new things.
Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are prime examples of unconventional thinkers and leaders. They do not look like typical business leaders and their leadership style is anything but conventional. In fact, their backgrounds are both contrary to what most people would expect of such successful corporate leaders. They both dropped out of college and had no formal business training.
Despite this, or maybe because of this, they have unconventional leadership styles that have led to the creation of unconventional firms. Jobs and Zuckerberg demonstrate how unconventional leaders build their own leadership styles based on their context and the many lessons they learn from diverse areas. Because of this, their firms beat the competition on a regular basis.
Unconventional leaders inspire people to do amazing things; the type of things that their followers would not do on their own. With their leadership, vision and competitive advantage becomes reality.
Dr. Romero says, "Unconventional leaders lead their companies to repeatedly create things that people love, but no one expected, especially their competition."
The more change an organization is facing, the greater the need for unconventional leaders and the innovation, flexibility and risk-taking culture they create. Given that today’s environment is characterized by frequent change, unconventional leadership is more important than ever before.
Therefore, of all the things that leaders do, creating an unconventional and adaptive culture will contribute the most to building and defending long-term competitive advantage.
Dr. Romero's book, Compete Outside the Box: The Unconventional Way to Beat the Competition provides ideas about how to build and lead an unconventional company that beats the competition:
• Become an unconventional thinker and leader
• Craft an unconventional culture
• Hire unconventional thinkers who can motivate themselves
• Create an environment that supports creativity
• Use humor and honest communication to enhance performance
• Embrace change and turn it into a competitive advantage
The ideas from his book are applicable to any company that wants to beat the competition. The first step is to Think Outside the Box so you can Compete Outside the Box™!
Compete Outside the Box: The Unconventional Way to Beat the Competition
by Eric J. Romero, PhD
Paperback (ISBN: 978-0-615-59016-
ebook (ISBN: 978-1-4657-3053-
Eric J. Romero, PhD is a speaker, author and leadership consultant. He helps managers become unconventional leaders who beat the competition. Eric teaches them how to create competitive advantage based on innovation, flexibility and risk-taking. Eric has written over 21 articles and presented his ideas around the world for over 15 years. Originally from New York City, his presentations are delivered with a sense of humor, 100% unedited honesty and street smarts!
Contact:
Eric J. Romero, PhD
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
(915) 342-8996
www.CompeteOutsideTheBox.com
# # #
Eric J. Romero, PhD helps managers become unconventional leaders who beat the competition. He is the author of Compete Outside the Box: The Unconventional Way to Beat the Competition.
