Axiom 72: Silent but Deadly

“The unseen enemy is always the most fearsome.” 

-George R.R. Martin

“Be where your enemy is not.” -Sun Tzu

I was recently at a industry dinner and ran into the upper management from a competing company to the one I work for. Even though we had never met I already knew a lot about them but they had no clue who I was. Considering I've been in my industry for over 16 years now most people in my position might have taken offense that they had no idea who I was. However, I didn't take offense at all, I was actually happy they didn't know anything about me.

As long as your customers, coworkers, and managers know who you are that is all the recognition you need. Don't fall for the urge to make a name for yourself in the eyes of your competition. It may make your ego feel better temporarily, but it will cause you heartache in the long run. Once your competitors know who you are you'll have a target on your back.

It is hard to fight an enemy that remains unseen. Try to stay under the radar as long as possible with your competition. Once they know who you are they will start to study you. They will learn your strengths and weaknesses. They will make each success in business a battle to the end. They will exploit your weaknesses and defeat you more often. They will learn how to defend their prized accounts and will be a step ahead of you.

If you want to win against your competition more in business make sure they know as little about you as possible.     

Jungle Jim's International Market

There is a grocery store near Cincinnati, Ohio that is like no other. A huge, food-theme park that calls out to foodies from all over. It is called Jungle Jim's International Market.

With 200,000 square feet of nothing but foods, some pretty rare, this place is like a Super Wal-Mart without the non-perishable items.

But let's be clear, this place is far from your average big box retailer. It really is much more fun than that. Creative displays are all through the store.

The layout is scattered for the most part. So unless you come here often you probably won't know where to find everything. You just have to walk around and try to enjoy the ride. I was blown away from their four aisles of soft drinks.

The international food sections are laid out by country. They have the best selection of rare and hard-to-find food items I have ever seen. I was very impressed. 

If you're in the area you have to check it out. I just wish there was a store like this where I live.

Axiom 71: The Need for Speed

"The speed of the boss is the speed of the team." -Lee Iacocca

"The primary factor in a successful attack is speed." -Lord Mountbatten

One easy skill that will increase your chances of success is speed. If you can work faster and more efficiently than anyone else you will soon gather a following. People like dealing with people that act swiftly to solve a problem.

One thing you will notice is that most people work at a slow methodical pace. They never seek to increase speed. They could care less about finding time saving shortcuts. These are the kind of people that show up for a paycheck only. They are the kind of people that don't want to work faster because they'll only get more work piled on them if they do.

It is more likely you will find yourself with more work to do the faster you work. However, working faster exudes a certain vibe of confidence and success. People notice when you work fast. Working fast truly is a positive attribute.

The people that work fast are generally the people that are promoted quicker. The slower workers are left behind because they emit an attitude of not caring that much. If you want to be successful figure out how to be the fastest person at your job without sacrificing quality.