Being an Outsider can be an Advantage
When new Enigin Distributors arrive for their Enigin Mindshare training course they are usually from a diverse background but one thing they all have in common is that they, with one or two exceptions, have never worked in the energy saving business before.
Is there an advantage to entering an industry where you have no proven track record or expertise?
Considering it, there are three main pluses:
1. No Political Debts to Pay
Being an outsider clearly confers advantages. You have no affiliations. You aren’t beholden to particular people, causes, factions. All organisations, commercial or otherwise, have politics and it is critical for leaders to stay above them. So coming in without political debts is liberating.
2. Easier to Be Objective
The upside of ignorance is objectivity. For a short period, you will be able to take a clear-eyed view of everything your told and weigh the merits of different arguments.
One of the toughest problems new business leaders face is knowing what’s going on inside their industry. Even this can be an advantage as you get a unique opportunity to get a pretty good snap shot of the whole business.
Objectivity is great but it isn’t everything and it certainly won’t be enough.
3. A Fresh Perspective on Old Problems
As an outsider, you carry a different perspective on how an industry or business appears to the world outside.
That gives you a connection with your potential business clients.
Just beware that very quickly all of these outsider advantages will be gone. You will have formed your own views, you will have lost the outsider perspective and then the real work will start. That’s when you discover if you can be a great manager.
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