The most successful business leaders draw outstanding performances from their teams, much like the conductor of an orchestra. Just as an orchestra is comprised of distinct sections for strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, a company has departments, teams, and often, dealer networks that need to be in harmony. It’s when they fall out of sync that the business, brand, products and people, including customers, suffer. A great leader will unite, align and inspire the best performances, bringing out all that differentiates and elevates a brand. Here are six ways to accomplish this:

Focus on the Team

Just as conductors turn their focus to the musicians, leaders must focus on their teams, ensuring they are performing at the highest level, together. Each department must understand the role it plays within the larger organization so it can create a masterwork. When people understand their responsibilities and roles, they can be truly productive. They’re also more likely to collaborate, which minimizes redundancy and enhances overall efficiency and effectiveness.

Give Meaning

While conductors do not play a single note, they are ultimately responsible for beautiful music. An organization’s leader does not manufacture or sell the product but is responsible for inspiring all of those who do. It’s a leader’s role to provide significance to every individual who represents or affects the enterprise and ensure the right people are playing the right parts. One key person or department that is disengaged will negatively affect success for all. But when team members recognize their importance and the value of what they bring, it instills a deep pride that motivates them to perform at their best.

Part of giving teams meaning is communicating what differentiates a company or brand. An employee who believes in the uniqueness of their company is much more likely to be loyal, rather than viewing it as a steppingstone to bigger and better things. They recognize and appreciate their role in delivering something no one else does.

Protect the Brand’s Essence

A company’s story is its great masterpiece. You would never try to rewrite the music of Beethoven or Mozart. Similarly, leaders shouldn’t allow their company’s brand essence to get diluted. It’s their role to champion and reinforce the brand’s differentiation and mission throughout the organization. That means taking the opportunity to reinforce differentiators in every discussion, whether it’s an internal meeting with just two people, a large all-employee meeting or a one-on-one conversation with a customer.

Inspire Team and Solo Performances

The best orchestral performers are able to seamlessly play together with other musicians, as well as deliver solo performances when asked. Good leaders are able to build teams that can do both. Sometimes the job calls for strong people who are comfortable working independently. Other times, collaboration is needed to develop the right solution. The most effective teams are able to easily switch between the two styles of working.

Build Harmony

Just like an orchestra, a company needs to be in sync, playing off the same sheet of music. Leaders must align their teams with company goals and the brand story. In other words, everyone must be moving in the same direction to be at peak efficiency. You can imagine the sound that would emanate from a group of musicians all playing a different composition. The varying tempos and notes would clash together into an unpleasant, random mess. In business, building harmony throughout an organization takes work. You might find yourself sounding like a broken record, but keeping teams aligned means constantly reinforcing the most important aspects of your business—your mission, vision, values, story and uniqueness.

Coach Teams to Greatness

The role of a conductor is to provide feedback, guidance and encouragement to musicians, helping them reach their full potential. In the same way, leaders should direct and provide the resources their teams need to achieve the company’s goals, as well as their own professional goals. This can take the form of training or coaching sessions that build on employees’ skills.

There’s much for leaders to learn from the way a conductor directs an orchestra. The best leaders, like the greatest conductors, bring out exceptional performances in their teams. They understand how to maximize individual strengths and bring them together to differentiate and deliver on the company’s mission. Try leading like a conductor and discover your organization’s greatest symphony.

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Twenty years ago, we didn’t hear much about sustainability from companies or their approach to social responsibility. But flash forward to today, and if you are a manufacturer that isn’t talking about these two topics, you’ve fallen behind. Sustainability and corporate responsibility have not only become unique selling points but are often interwoven into a brand’s story and messaging. Socially conscious customers are responding with their purchase power and loyalty, proving the importance of ethical branding in business. And brands are responding by aligning with their customers’ values, growing trust and sharing their actions for building a safer and healthier future.

Here are a few ways to do that:

Discover what is important. According to the Capgemini Research Institute, 79 percent of consumers are changing their purchase preferences based on social responsibility, inclusiveness or environmental impact. That makes it all the more important to discover what your customers and prospects hold most significant. Take the time to survey and talk with them. Then use what you learn to determine how you can align your mission to achieve meaningful environmental and social progress.

Make it a differentiator. Any efforts your company makes to reduce its environmental impact and act in a socially responsible way should be used as differentiators. I’ve worked with manufacturers that actively develop innovations that allow them to reuse natural resources or reduce, or even eliminate, waste in their facilities. Some of them even help customers operate more sustainably by visiting their facilities and advising them on the most efficient ways to use their products or how they can change their processes to be more productive. These are all powerful differentiators that set them apart from competitors and appeal to customers who seek out suppliers with environmentally responsible operations.

Give teams meaning and purpose. The most important thing you can do is give employees and sales teams meaning beyond their day-to-day jobs. Engaged, loyal teams recognize their value and see their role in driving the company’s mission forward and doing work that matters. Employees will be less likely to leave a company that actively cares for and protects the environment, people and communities, especially if they have opportunities to personally contribute in these areas. From company-wide recycling programs to special days throughout the year where teams can volunteer their time, environmentally and socially conscious activities create a positive, uplifting culture that attracts and retains talent.

Get it out there. Businesses may be inclined to keep their sustainability progress under wraps until they’re well on the way to achieving their goals. They may feel the company isn’t far enough along or that it’s lagging behind competitors. But sharing environmental and social goals early and often will let customers, employees, suppliers, the community and the industry know that you are working toward meaningful progress. Silence will only lead them to assume you’re doing nothing in these areas. Annual reports, websites and social media are just a few of the ways you can share progress on your sustainability and corporate responsibility goals.

Protect the people. For the best manufacturers, the safety of their people is an ongoing focus. These companies must share their safety story and make it part of their brand messaging. No customer wants to purchase products from a company that puts human lives at risk in their manufacturing process. They also don’t want to purchase from businesses that fail to protect human rights within their material sourcing or supply chains. Brands must explain how they’re keeping their employees safe and protecting the lives of those who contribute to their production and distribution processes.

Live up to your promises. Ethical brands live up to their promises. They avoid saying one thing and doing another. They are transparent and honest in their messaging and business practices. And when issues arise, they own up to their mistakes. When Netflix separated its DVD service from its streaming service, customers who wanted to keep both were faced with a steep price increase. The CEO issued a letter explaining the changes, and while the prices didn’t change, the company was more transparent about the what and why of this significant shift in their brand model.

Today, consumers have more choices than ever on the products and services they purchase. Increasingly, they are seeking out environmentally and socially conscious brands whose mission aligns with what’s most important to them. That’s why companies must communicate their values and position their sustainability and social efforts as differentiators to not only win the hearts and minds of their customers but also become leaders in their industries.

For more business insights check out our business category here.

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Ideas, innovation and progress are stifled.

When team members are kept separate, ideas and innovation are stifled. Creativity and input across departments is essential to generating new ideas that fully answer the needs and desires of customers. Some of the best ideas are the result of seemingly disparate groups coming together and each sharing their unique views and expertise to solve a challenge or create something entirely unique. It’s also energizing to brainstorm with colleagues you normally don’t interact with day-to-day. It provides a fresh perspective to all.

The focus is taken off what matters most: customers, relationships, growth, sales, morale and passion.

When silos have built up within a company, the focus turns inward. There’s little to no sharing of ideas, resources, goals or information. It’s “each department for themselves.” Customer service takes a back seat to a contentious mentality, turf wars and general one-upmanship. This results in everything from lost sales and loyalty to the complete collapse of an organization. A thriving business aligns goals across all departments and promotes a culture of collaboration to the benefit of customers and its employees.

Disagreements begin to breed discontentment.

Disagreements go hand-in-hand with business silos, which breed discontentment. When the silos are torn down, disagreements will still happen and emotions will even run high at times, but it’s ok as long as people are part of a cohesive team. Sharing the same goals, they can work together to achieve them, even if it means disagreeing with each other to ultimately make a solution or product better.

Employee turnover increases.

Employees caught in business silos often don’t see the big picture or understand their role in achieving the company’s goals. This narrow view prevents them from recognizing the true value they bring to the larger organization, causing low morale, isolation and disengagement. Teams that understand their value are more satisfied on the job and less likely to jump ship and explore other opportunities.

Work quality suffers.

Business silos create a combative, unhealthy culture. It’s difficult to do your best work when you’re constantly in a battle with other departments or concerned about protecting yourself and your position. And when information isn’t readily shared among departments, solutions, products and services are developed in a vacuum, leading to poor quality and design. Ultimately, the customer experience suffers.

Overcoming business silos can be a challenge, but it’s essential to a successful, thriving organization. It begins with leadership setting the right tone and encouraging collaboration and teamwork. Try establishing goals or assigning projects that require employees from different areas and functions to work together. Ensure everyone is aligned with the company’s mission and vision. This can be achieved through internal branding efforts that bring employees together and emphasize they are all on one team, working toward the same goals. My company has even created internal branding events where employees sign a banner with the company’s values and mission. It creates a visual statement of their unity and commitment.

Step by step, a company can remove business silos and foster a culture in which employees work with, rather than against, each other. When that happens, it paves the way for greater innovation and ultimately greater success.

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I’ve collaborated with business leaders for over four decades. They’ve come from companies of all sizes, industries and degrees of success. I’m happy to say most of them have done an amazing job at the helm, inspiring employees, differentiating their brands and driving customer loyalty, innovation, quality and productivity. There are certain universal qualities and actions that propelled these leaders and their businesses to the top. Let’s take a look at them.

Differentiate and Elevate

Leaders have told me that discovering and celebrating their brand’s differentiation was one of the most rewarding experiences of their career. Like any great journey, differentiating takes time, but it’s well worth the effort. It can transform a company from being just another product or service to being in demand. Discovering a brand’s unique qualities and sharing that story not only builds value, sales and customer loyalty, it also drives employee satisfaction and engagement when it’s celebrated with them.

Embrace Different Ideas and Approaches

Great leaders seek out different ideas and approaches and embrace difference. The best leaders maintain an open mind, knowing the next great idea can come from anywhere. It expands their perspective and creates an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to make an impact. A diversity of ideas gives leaders more ammunition to overcome challenges and make more informed decisions that drive growth.

Resist Brand Homogenization

If you’re the leader of a company that has acquired many other brands in the same segment, it can be tempting to “streamline” them. This transforms once-unique companies into boring, mediocre, one-size-fits-all brands that no longer have their own personality or value. It’s demotivating to employees and ultimately blurs brands, possibly to the point of extinction.

Guide, Counsel and then Trust

For leaders, it can be difficult to resist intervening when something isn’t done the way they would do it. They have their own vision and when that’s not realized, the easiest response is to step in and fix it. But that can demotivate teams and damage morale. True leaders realize different approaches do not necessarily mean something is wrong or inferior. Instead, they coach and guide their teams, while trusting them to execute their vision.

Give Significance

It’s a leader’s role to provide significance to every individual who represents or affects the enterprise. That includes helping their team understand the value of what they do at the company. When employees recognize the importance and meaning they bring, they are less likely to look at a company as merely a steppingstone to bigger and better things. It instills a deep pride that reduces turnover, improves quality and elevates the experiences provided to customers.

Address the Invisible Elephants

Don’t be the leader who avoids addressing the invisible elephants that exist within a company. If there are issues, employees usually sense it, whether they voice their concerns or remain silent. The natural reaction is to fill any void of information with negativity. Great leaders avoid the void and speak the truth. Even if they don’t have all the information they need or can’t share it yet, they update employees as much as possible. Key players resist the temptation to wait until they have all the details before telling their employees anything—a sure recipe for disaster.

Live the Brand

Highly effective leaders “live” their brand. They not only sell their products, they own them. They become walking brand ambassadors who connect with customers on a deeper, personal level. Leaders like this truly understand what drives value in their company and gain a clear vision for their company’s future.

Be Accessible

What happens when a major customer issue or opportunity arises? The best leaders make themselves accessible and immediately jump in. You can build lifelong relationships when the customer knows you care. Conversely, if a leader is never available to discuss a situation, that makes a statement. Accessibility also goes for employees. When leaders take the time to listen to their team, they earn their respect and loyalty.

There’s more to being a great leader than impassioned speeches, shaking hands and keeping shareholders happy. It takes listening, inspiring and, yes, even being vulnerable at times. An effective leader can have far-reaching impacts on a business, from increased profits to building brand value to elevating employee morale and customer loyalty. While these leadership traits may be second nature to some people, for most, being a good leader happens over time through trial and error. Like anything else, the more work you put into it, the greater the rewards.

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Building brand communities has changed a lot over the last 25 years. Back in the day, in-person events, meetings and shows, as well as newsletters and magazines, helped owners find likeminded enthusiasts who had a similar passion for a brand or product. Brands would promote owner loyalty by creating and supporting owner clubs. Volkswagen still has clubs around the world devoted to a shared love for its vintage models. Think Beetles, Buses and Rabbits . . . oh my. While groups like these remain vital to creating and maintaining an owner culture, brands also have at their disposal a world of opportunities to build communities online and via apps. The companies that do it well foster a sense of belonging among owners and differentiate their brands in the minds and hearts of customers like never before.

Spreading Brand Positive Word-of-Mouth

How often do you scroll to the consumer reviews before making an online purchase? Often, it’s the first thing we do, even before reading a product description or specifications. And it stands to reason that the more expensive a product, the greater importance we place on the opinions of current owners. According to Nielsen’s 2021 Trust in Advertising study, 88 percent of global respondents trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel. Online communities are opportunities for consumers to talk and share opinions with each other, spreading that ever-important word-of-mouth and driving purchases.

Sharing Ideas

Whether it’s discovering new ways to use a product or sharing ideas for future offerings, online communities give customers a voice. LEGO has been extremely successful at cultivating an online owner community. It’s estimated there are 400 billion LEGO pieces in the world, which, stacked together, would circumvent the Earth five times. That’s a lot of pieces and a lot of customers with plenty to share. The brand harnessed that creative energy into LEGO Ideas, a community where customers can post their product ideas, view challenges, collaborate and share their love for the iconic toy.

Creating Brand Community

When you think of the most loyal, diehard owners, you think Harley-Davidson. In addition to the hundreds of clubs in existence around the world, the iconic brand has created a thriving network of enthusiast chapters centered on the love of riding and passion for Harley motorcycles. Harley Owners Group, or H.O.G.®, is the official Harley community where owners have opportunities to share their love for the brand both in-person and online. Whether they’re competing with other chapters in ride challenges, attending rallies around the country or sharing stories from the road, owners are united as H.O.G. members.

Thinking Differently

As of 2023, there are more than 1.5 billion active iPhone users in the world. That’s not counting the millions or likely billions more who own Apple Watch, iPad and Mac devices. This megabrand created the Apple Support Community for customers to connect with each other, ask questions, find advice and learn more about the products from experienced community members. They’ve even gamified it so members can earn points for different activities like answering another member’s question, uploading a user tip or attending a community meet-up. Imagine how many customer support questions Apple would be fielding if this online community didn’t exist.

Innovating the Future

What better way to gather customer input than an online owner group? While the traditional R&D process drives future product development, thinking of owners as co-creators produces a more open platform for innovation. Brands like BMW, Ikea, Starbucks and Unilever have all supported a sense of community among customers by seeing them not merely as end users of their products but people who can contribute ideas for the future.

Today more than ever, opportunities abound for customers to connect with each other and share their passion for brands and products. Companies that build and foster owner communities establish deeper customer relationships, generating loyalty, goodwill and positive word-of-mouth. Whether online, in person or a combination of the two, owner groups are an effective, smart brand strategy with far-reaching rewards.

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Companies that have been around for 80, 90, 100+ years are quite amazing. They’ve been able to withstand competitive and economic challenges, internal divisions . . . even wars and pandemics. So, what is it that they’re doing so right? The most successful companies have maintained a steadfast focus on keeping their brand signal strong and reinforcing what makes them unique. At the other end of the spectrum, those that have faltered have failed to keep their differentiation front and center. After all, when you’ve been in business for years and years, shouldn’t everyone already know what makes you special? It’s a risky assumption, considering industry newcomers can gobble up market share by more aggressively touting their advanced technologies, the products they’re developing or the streamlined processes they’re using. All the while, they can make long-standing companies look like dinosaurs.

Established brands that find themselves struggling often have a hidden innovation, whether it’s brilliant technology, an innovative feature or industry-leading engineering, manufacturing or service process, that isn’t being fully leveraged. That innovation must be protected, especially when there’s new ownership or leadership at the company. What’s special about the business must remain at the forefront during any big changes.

Companies that have lost their brand signal have audiences—employees, dealers, distributors, customers, suppliers, shareholders—who crave a more energized vision for the company’s future. People want to have confidence in the company who employs them or whose products they buy or sell. That can only happen when a brand has a clear, established vision.

So how does a business that has lost its brand signal find it again? It can re-engineer its brand. Re-engineering is defined as the systematic starting over and reinvention of the way a firm or a business gets its work done. For fatigued brands, re-engineering requires a deep dive into all the technical areas of manufacturing, identifying advantages and differentiators that can distinguish them in the industry and help regain or retain its position. This deep-dive process may unearth some existing processes, technologies, etc., that also need re-engineering.

An upcoming new product introduction can be an ideal time to re-engineer a brand. By leveraging the launch of a new product and all the marketing efforts that go along with it, a company can re-ignite its brand.

Brand re-engineering requires total engagement of all employees and those who represent the brand. Because this process goes far deeper than a logo or slogan, it’s important that all parts of a company play a role in the effort. Without this level of involvement, the initiative will be doomed to be repeated in the coming years. It’s an intensive process that reveals information that may not have been previously considered but can actually help clarify a vision and strategy for the brand moving forward.

A company can significantly elevate its success by re-engineering its brand. The most obvious positive business results are increased sales and an energized vision and focus. That elicits a boost in morale among employees and the sales channel because the brand is once again seen as a force in the industry. In essence, the sleeping giant is awakened. A roadmap for the future is clearly laid out, and that’s something that generates confidence.

Brand re-engineering also increases brand value. Some brands have more equity than others, but every brand has value. Apple’s brand is estimated to be worth over $297 billion. When a company increases the value of its brand, the overall value of the business is positively impacted. When brand value increases, it opens opportunities to new markets and segments, which in turn means more sales opportunities.

Companies, especially those that have been around for many years, must leverage everything they do that makes them unique in the marketplace. That un-named process that makes a product far superior to others, that million-dollar investment in new technology, that cutting-edge manufacturing method—they all have great potential, if leveraged correctly. Long-standing companies will retain their place at the top of the industry if they focus on keeping their brand signal strong.

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You start a company. It’s going great. And then something changes. The market. The customer. Technology. Maybe a new opportunity comes along. And then you’re faced with a decision. Keep going on the same path or pivot. It’s not an easy or comfortable decision. Brands have been faced with choices like this throughout history. Some have chosen to stay the course. Others have gone in new directions. What’s right depends on the company and any number of factors. But, when brands chose reinvention, it’s an opportunity to differentiate. Let’s look at a few examples.

Most of you know the basic story of Netflix. Founded in 1997, it was originally a mail order video rental company. Ten years later, it introduced streaming, on-demand video. Today, it accounts for 7.6 percent of TV viewing in the U.S. The company pivoted, and, in the process, differentiated itself, becoming one of the most successful streaming services in the world. Blockbuster, on the other hand, chose to stick with its business model, even after being offered an opportunity to purchase Netflix in 2000. Once a powerhouse brand you could find in cities coast to coast, the company lost its relevance, making any differentiation it once had essentially useless.

Amazon is also a great example of a company that pivoted its services and in doing so, expanded its differentiation. Jeff Bezos started the company in 1995 as an online book retailer. Music and video sales soon followed. The rest, as they say, is history. Now you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’s never made a purchase from the online retail giant. When the company first opened, employees would ring a bell every time a book was purchased. Imagine the inexhaustible, resounding clang that would make now.

Another example of a company reinventing itself is YouTube. Did you know it originally started as a dating platform? The inventors created it for people to post videos of themselves in the hopes of finding that special someone. When they saw their original vision for the site failing, they embraced what people were really using the site for . . . to post all different kinds of videos. By evolving and seeing the opportunity to take their site in a new direction, the founders discovered their site’s true differentiation. Today, the site has more than 2.6 billion active viewers from around the world every month.

Reinvention and differentiation in the auto industry is one of the most fascinating studies. Dozens of brands selling one core product—vehicles. The brands that dominate the industry have differentiated themselves in the minds and hearts of consumers. Audi is premium luxury. BMW is performance. Jeep is adventurous. Volkswagen is the people’s car. From design and technology advancements to innovative new features to elevated ownership experiences, they have discovered how to stand apart from the rest. And now the industry as a whole is undergoing a seismic shift from focusing solely on traditional internal combustion engines to innovating hybrid and electric options. New companies like Tesla and Lucid have joined the ranks of the long-standing auto brands we know so well. More competition means it’s increasingly important to see this shift as an opportunity for greater differentiation.

Reinvention can lead to discovering your brand’s true differentiation. When I started my company in 1981, it was a music and audio production company. We wrote and produced on-hold music and jingles for over 1,000 corporate clients. And then North American Van Lines asked us to take over their marketing department. We became a full-service marketing, training and communications agency. This opportunity to reinvent the company led to us discovering our niche of serving companies with dealer-distributor networks and helping businesses re-engineer and strengthen their brands. It is our true differentiation, our North Star.

Differentiation is often a result of reinvention. Companies that take opportunities to move in new directions can discover effective ways to set themselves apart from the competition. While it may not be on the scale of an Amazon or Netflix, reinventing is a proven strategy for remaining relevant and successful.

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Sometimes there can be a startling difference in the level of service we, as customers, receive. Why is that? Do some companies just have the secret sauce that others don’t? Are some companies staffed with more dedicated employees who are committed to serving customers? While there are standard best practices that span across industries and businesses, the fact is that finding the best way to serve customers is different for every company. The key is discovering what works and keeping it fresh. Considering it’s six times more expensive to acquire new customers than it is to keep existing ones, every effort businesses put forth to build a loyal customer base is well worth it.

Consistency is Key

Companies that have perfected the art of customer service focus on consistency in every department and interaction. Do they have one defined experience or do they have two, three, or maybe 800 of them? If a sales channel has 800 salespeople and no defined experience, they end up with customer experiences that vary widely in quality, with no consistency. It’s impossible to please anyone (customers, dealers and employees) in that predicament. That’s why consistency is critical, from product manufacturing to the options and products that are offered to the sales and after sales experience. By ensuring they offer a consistently positive experience to every customer, companies can win their loyalty and trust.

Connect with the Right Person

Something else the best customer-focused brands do is allow customers to connect with the right person—whether they’re in the front office or on the factory floor. If they have a technical question, they can directly reach an engineer who works on the product and has expertise. What if there’s a customer issue or an opportunity that is extraordinary? Are the company’s leaders available to jump in immediately if needed? They can help solve issues, which shows customers they care. If the leaders are never available and kept at a distance, that’s a statement.

Make it a Team Effort

Opening direct communication between the customer and the exact person who can best meet their needs means every employee takes ownership. There are no hand-offs. And there’s no, “It’s not my job to talk to customers and help them with problems, it’s the service person’s job.” Instead, it’s jumping in and working together to help the customer. This kind of team effort makes sure the customer is taken care of, no matter what.

Respond Swiftly

A dissatisfied customer who is made satisfied is more loyal than a customer who never had an issue in the first place. So, imagine if there was one company in a customer’s day that responded immediately and helped them with their needs. Those that are responsive when an issue arises stand out in the minds and hearts of customers. And when companies have more than one person who can help answer a customer question or solve an issue, they are better prepared to respond quickly.

Focus on Quality Control

The best companies have multiple quality control gates along their production. They give their employees freedom to stop the process if they don’t feel 100 percent confident in its quality. They also do a final quality check, gathering the right team to check that the product is error-free. Unfortunately, quality is not the most important objective of every company out there. And even for those companies who put quality front and center, the fact is that human and even machine errors can happen. So, while focusing on quality should be a priority, when an error does happen, it’s important to address it and take care of the customer.

Service is an Ongoing Journey

Creating a consistent, positive customer service experience is an ongoing journey for companies. Customer needs change, manufacturing processes are updated, employees come and go. Along the way, customer service practices must remain a focus. By regularly evaluating their customer service performance, companies can stay current and continue to deliver at the highest levels. The experience they provide can then be used as a strong differentiator that sets their brand apart from the competition.

There is no magic formula for providing great customer service. It’s a process of discovery for every company as they analyze their customers’ needs, their teams, products, industry and more. Considering that very few, if any, of these things remains the same for long, a constant focus on the customer experience is required for those who want to remain at the top of their game. The result is a loyal base of customers who value and appreciate brands for understanding their needs and consistently meeting them.

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We’ve all said the phrase “In a perfect world . . .” at one time or another to describe what we view as an ideal situation. In a perfect world, we would release a flawless product that our customers love. In a perfect world, our solution would revolutionize the industry and be the preferred choice by everyone. In a perfect world, our customer service team would get it right every time. It’s a pie-in-the-sky wish for how we hope something will turn out. But how often does “perfect” happen? Most would agree it’s rare, but regardless, we all strive for it to the point of stifling progress. That’s why avoiding the perfect trap is crucial to growing and advancing businesses and brands.

Perfection Drives Paralysis

A manufacturing CEO shared an analysis of his brand: “Our product has decent features, but we could be far better. We have more than our share of issues and have a long way to go. It’s frustrating.” He was focused on the imperfections of this otherwise strong company. He was caught in the perfect trap, waiting for the day when things would be just right. The danger is if you wait until everything is just right, by the time you can launch or re-launch your brand or product, almost everything has changed—the economy, the competition, even the world itself. Your opportunity for success is diminished.

Perfection Hinders Creativity

Aiming for perfect often prevents the most creative outcomes. It’s through imperfections and even mishaps that the greatest creativity can emerge. For example, there are countless hit songs that were born accidentally when a performer placed his or her fingers in the “wrong” spot on the guitar or keyboard. That “mistake” was embraced and turned into something magical. (Here’s a music performance “secret.” If a musician makes a mistake in a song during a concert, they will often repeat that mistake so that common folks like us don’t think it was an error.)

Perfection Intimidates

Upholding the goal of perfection is intimidating for everyone. It can prevent ideas from being voiced for fear of being less than spot-on. Employees may be less apt to participate for fear of letting the team down. Or they may be unwilling to work with someone who demands nothing less than perfection because it’s demotivating and unachievable.

Perfection is Subjective

According to Psychology Today, perfection is a subjective concept. What seems perfect to one person might be very different from someone else’s view of perfection. This makes it elusive even to the most devoted perfectionists. You can’t please everyone, but you can work toward pleasing most, which is still a resounding win for any company.

Perfection Prevents Improvement

Let’s say a company’s leaders view their product as perfect. Does that mean all advancement halts? If it’s perfect, does everyone just go home? Perfection can be a hindrance to incremental improvement. We all accept and expect the “fixes” we receive on our iPhones. Many of those updates represent flaws that needed to be remedied, yet we’re good with those. Why can’t it be the same with a brand, a product, a marketing strategy, a website, a blog, etc.? Improvements are often seen as positive rather than a disappointment that something wasn’t perfect from the get-go. A company that’s continually working to make its products better shows its innovation and its investment in continual improvement.

The goal is finding the sweet spot between waiting for perfect and getting as close to it as possible without letting it stop progress. Ship it. Get it out the door. Have a plan in place to monitor opportunities for improvement and build on it from there. A brand or product doesn’t have to be perfect or the best for it to succeed. It needs to be differentiated, to represent something of unique value. Great brands can be both powerful and imperfect. When a brand is differentiated and customers see its value, they are more understanding when improvements must be made. In fact, they’ll appreciate the brand even more. Freeing yourself from the perfect trap unlocks the potential for extraordinary thinking and amazing results. It’s not about perfect; it’s about progress.

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Any successful team has a few utility players, those who can perform well in several roles. One of the best utility players in the MLB was Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays. He seamlessly moved between infield and outfield positions, from pitcher to second baseman to right-fielder to shortstop, delivering stellar performances along the way. Players like Zobrist are the secret (or not-so-secret) weapon teams need to win. The same holds true in business, where utility players can not only be people, but inspired strategies like differentiation.

The concept of differentiation is often associated with products. How is one product different from all the others on the market? It might be a design feature, superior engineering or a special capability. But differentiation is at its strongest when used as a company’s utility player—one that goes beyond a product to other areas that also add uniqueness and value. Products may come and go, based on demand, changing markets or copycat competitors. A differentiation strategy that goes deeper into an organization, however, is significantly more sustainable.

Customer Experience

The customer experience is a universal opportunity for differentiation, no matter the industry you’re in or the service you provide. The company that bends over backwards to ensure the experience is outstanding will differentiate itself from those who have very little focus on what happens after the sale. Anyone who owns an Apple product knows about their “Genius Bar” tech support group. The brand continually tops lists of companies with the best customer service. For them, differentiation goes past just their products, deeper into the experience.

The Story

Every company has a unique story to tell. Is it a brand with a 100-year legacy? Has the company been family-owned for generations? Is there something unique about its location? What sparked its founding? What values was it built upon that remain today? Every brand should have a narrative about its history and heritage. It’s a feature they can own that differentiates them from any other company in the world.

The Unique Factor

Some of the most successful companies have a unique ingredient or process for creating their products. It might be a proprietary grain or a more expensive component competitors don’t use. Maybe it’s a piece of state-of-the-art equipment that allows you to make a type of product not readily available elsewhere. A unique process or added step to ensure the highest levels of quality are other ways to stand out from the competition.

The Team

The people behind a brand and its products or services are also a powerful differentiating force. They bring a unique set of personalities, skills, certifications and education that can’t be replicated. Whether customer-facing or behind the scenes, employees can drive their company’s uniqueness. Brand Specialists or Brand Ambassadors are great examples of how many brands are differentiating themselves. These experts are trained on a company’s unique differentiators. They are skilled at sharing the brand story and delivering consistent, elevated customer experiences. A Brand Specialist could also be uniquely trained to work with vendors. Amazon’s Amazonians are skilled specialists that work with the online giant’s vendors to help them promote their brands and products.

Exclusivity

It may sound counterintuitive, but making a product or service scarce is a strategy that can differentiate a brand. Limit the number of a certain product being made or only offer it at certain times of the year. If you’re a whisky drinker, The Macallan luxury Scotch whisky introduces limited-edition expressions every year that you can’t find anywhere else. These unique releases differentiate the brand and make it a much-sought-after spirit.

Differentiation should be a holistic strategy that permeates an entire company, from products to processes to people and beyond. Unleash differentiation as your brand’s utility player to amplify uniqueness and market share. It’s a team player that can make your company the all-time champion.

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