At an industry meeting a few years ago, my company was compared to our competitors. It was not a flattering comparison. I believe the term used was “runt of the big guys.”

Let’s just say I wasn’t too thrilled to hear my company – which has been around more than 85 years – described in such a way (especially by a CEO whose company was a fraction the size of ours). We’re not exactly a small organization. We’re a top 10 market-share leader in our core business, even though we operate in less than half the geographic U.S.

The comment really made me stop and think. Too often, this is how we’ve looked at ourselves. It is how I’ve looked at us. Constant talk about how difficult it would be to get to the same size as our market leaders … to have the scale to do things they can do. You know how this chatter goes.

There are valid reasons for this type of thought process. But chasing market leaders is an endless cycle of competitive intelligence, new projects to address where they’re headed, and ultimately getting there – only to see they’ve moved ahead (again). Yes, this is what faces the ‘runt of the big guys.’

This was an ‘ah-ha’ moment for me. I decided then and there – we would chart a different course. Instead of trying to beat the competition at their games, why not play by our rules and create a new set of companies by which to compare ourselves.

I decided to win our way.

Recently, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, “David and Goliath.” In it, Gladwell approaches the well-known Biblical story of David vs. Goliath a bit differently. Most believe Goliath had all the advantages and that David was the huge underdog.

I mean, c’mon. Goliath was a Philistine, a giant, with massive muscles and covered in armor. David was a twerp. Scrawny. Feeble.

A runt of the big guys.

If he fought Goliath hand-to-hand, using similar weapons and armor, David would’ve been crushed. But Gladwell contends, David really wasn’t an underdog, because he was never going to fight Goliath the way Goliath wanted to fight.

David was little, but he was fast. And he carried the most lethal weapon of the day – a rock and a sling – which had the power of a .45-caliber bullet.  In those days, people like David routinely killed lions and other predators with a rock and a sling.  Apparently, the only ones who didn’t realize this were…the Philistines.

So Gladwell argues David’s disadvantages – his perceived weaknesses – were actually advantages. Gladwell’s point is when underdogs fight like David, they win. When they fight like Goliath, they lose.

If you’re facing that uphill battle with Goliath – if you’re the so-called scrawny runt who gets dismissed among other, bigger fish, it’s time to view yourself as David. Fight a different fight. Find the advantages among your disadvantages.

Win your way. Here are three ideas to get you there.

First: If you’re not an underdog, act like one anyway. Instill a ‘runt’ mentality.’ Put a chip on your shoulder – but in a healthy way that motivates you to achieve your goals. Otherwise, you’re primed to have the Davids of your world come along and take you down. You’re bound to fall behind and become complacent.

You’re bound to lose.

Second: Change the rules and the game. Push the limits. Be ready to disrupt the status quo. Find what’s next for your industry, your customers – for you. Don’t just follow the competition’s script. Write your own.

Third: Use speed and maneuverability to surprise your competitors and keep experimenting. Choose – and use – your weapons wisely, and turn the fight to your advantage. What makes you and your organization nimble? What are your strengths? Put those to use quickly and effectively.
Gladwell admits this underdog mentality can be challenging, requiring great effort and commitment – especially from its leaders. What can you do? The best leaders push themselves and their teams. They’re not satisfied, and they’re willing to break or change things that work fine. (More to come on this concept soon.)

Think like an underdog – get your organization to act similarly. Don’t be a runt of the big guys.

Be a big fish in a little pond of your own making.

When you make this shift, I think you’ll see a whole new world open up.