Standing Out in a Crowd

I've been watching some of the World Cup. I'm not a soccer fan, but when it's being played in the U.S. alongside my kids' fandom, I've joined in. I asked my son what's up with the pink cleats [in other parts of the world they are called boots].

Pink is all over the pitch.

He shared that it's not just one brand but many sneaker brands in pink. Nike. Adidas. Puma. New Balance. Skechers. Five competitors, one color across the pitch.

Turns out, five brands read the same trend forecast and landed in the exact same place - pink sits directly opposite green on the color wheel, so it's the loudest color a broadcast camera can catch.

Five competitors made the "bold" move, but in doing so, they became part of the trend rather than trendsetters.

We read the same industry reports, market reports, analysis, and the LinkedIn echo chamber. We follow TikTok trends and use recommended chat prompts to stand out for ourselves and our business. We follow the same playbook of what's new or will help us stand out. The one everyone swears is the innovative move.

But when we all take the same step at the same time, we don't end up standing out. On trend, but no different.

I think about this often. I've also been the follower. But recently, I did what I would consider a bold move: I published The Possibility Press newspaper. When everyone else hands you their business card or contact information, I hand them my newspaper. It has my contact info, but also insight and value. It's tactical and old school, and it's definitely made an impression and had an impact.

What could one of those sneaker companies have done that would have made the impact, the noise, the lasting impression beyond a bold color?

Think about Nike. They own 'Nike By You.' Technology that lets you design a fully custom shoe. Imagine every athlete walking onto the pitch in a boot built around their own story - hometown colors, a parent's name stitched somewhere only they'd notice, the culture they grew up in. Hundreds of different stories, each one impossible for a competitor to copy overnight.

A color trend has a shelf life - relevant for one tournament, then gone. A personal story doesn't expire. When people help create something, they don't just consume it - they carry it. And every time they share why it matters, the experience compounds.

The brands that followed the forecast did what they thought was bold, but ended up in a sea of sameness.

How do you want to show up at work this week to break out of the sea of sameness?

Not with the boldest color - but with the kind of presence people are still thinking about after you've left.

Not the loudest voice in the meeting - but the one who asks the question nobody else thought to ask.

The color of your shirt fades by the time you get home. The impact you make doesn't.

Here's this week's assignment.

Before your next big move - the ask, the campaign, the plan, the initiative ask yourself:

What would I do here if nobody else's playbook existed?