Why a contrarian view?
Long after I had decided to write this book, I came across a quote from Steve Spurrier, the highly successful football coach of the University of Florida Gators, that pretty well summarizes my point of view. “I am a little different,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I read something once that I think is so true: If you want to be successful, you have to do it the way everybody else does it and do it a lot better; or you have to do it differently.” While I have never met Steve Spurrier, these few words perfectly make the case for a contrarian approach to management: “doing it differently.” There are obvious advantages; the element of surprise, since usually no one is expecting what you are about to do. When you are pioneering something new, you are also not subject to invidious comparisons with the competition: you’re too small, too new to compete, etc. Indeed, the goal should be not to have any competition. You are creating your own market, your own niche where you can excel on your own t
