Working hard versus working smart. Some will say you have to do both at the same time, others say it’s an either or proposition. I have often viewed it as a pendulum that was weighted towards working hard, but knowing when to work smart is the challenge that requires literal balance and perspective.

In the book Outsmart!: How to Do What Your Competitors, Jim Champy tells the tales of several businesses and how, around a certain period of time, they were able to rise and outsmart their competitors in various ways. That period of time was the 2000’s, as this book was written in 2008. With that in mind going into reading it, would I have takeaways from it? Yes, and several.

Outsider perspective helps – The majority of the businesses highlighted featured leaders who came into it – the business itself or the industry – as an outsider, namely someone who didn’t grow up in that line of business. Taking a new idea or what was there, they were able to look at it differently than others from within and outside and were able to thrive.

You can change how people think by changing what they do – This quote was related to the story about MinuteClinic, and is one I can personally attest to. Whether a change of venue, responsibility or assignments, doing something different – whether it’s directly aligned with your interests or not – can change your opinion greatly.

Outsourcing not always the answer and more about cost saving than quality – Attributed to one of the owners of S. A. Robotics, it justifies how the firm kept most of its work internal and did not outsource. I agree with this, and I also add the element of time to this, as outsourcing can deliver something much later and with less quality, especially if the focus is on a reduced price.

The business world in 2008 – This book was published before the recession in 2008, and a follow-on to how these business are today, if they are still in business, would be interesting to read. The story of gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson was of high interest to me, as I grew up a few miles from their headquarters in Massachusetts, one that is being relocated to Tennessee due to a changing political climate towards guns in the Bay State. Where Shutterfly was revolutionary back in the mid-2000’s, it would be interesting to see how they compare to others in that space today.

The catalyst for me reading this book was its author himself. Jim Champy was the chairman and CEO of CSC Index, a management consulting firm that was a sister firm to where I was working early in my career. He is most known for, along with Mike Hammer, pioneering the concept of Business Reengineering that swept the corporate world in the 1990’s. When I saw this book, though our paths never crossed I was compelled nonetheless to read about my, um, colleague.

Outsmart is a short but good read that shows by example how strategizing and execution of that strategy can make a difference for a business. If you’re looking for inspiration to change and rise above where you are with your business, I recommend this book. As for whom I am giving it to, it’s on its way to my friend John Wall, an avid reader of this humble blog and the co-host of the long-running and best marketing podcast out there, Marketing Over Coffee. Why? Check out his recent episode where he talks about Jibbitz, who is one of the businesses featured in this book.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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