Positioning — Wes Kao

🌵 Spiky point of view: Let’s get a little controversial

We live in a noisy world. Whichever industry you’re in, there are thousands of other people like you trying to get noticed.

Unless you distinguish yourself, you’ll never get a chance to show how different you actually are.

To stand out, you need to develop what I call a “spiky” point of view.

What is a spiky point of view?

A spiky point of view is a perspective others can disagree with. It’s a belief you feel strongly about and are willing to advocate for. It’s your thesis about topics in your realm of expertise.

Marketing, PositioningWes KaoJuly 10, 2020Marketing, Positioning

People judge the average of your achievements, not the cumulative

When we want to impress, we often feel the urge to name every single thing we’ve done.

Every skill we have.

Every client we’ve ever worked with.

Anything we’ve attempted.

We think the more we add to the list, the greater our accomplishments will seem.

But more isn’t always better. Sometimes it’s actually worse. Why?

PositioningWes KaoMay 26, 2020Positioning

Simplify first, not last

One common approach is to write a lot, then trim later.

But sometimes, that means you come up with something entirely different than if you had decided to write something short from the beginning.

Simplifying first is a strategy to help you surface options that are categorically better. By setting a different target, you play a different game altogether.

Leveling upWes KaoSeptember 4, 2019Levelling up, Writing, Efficiency, Positioning, Messaging, Rigorous thinking, Strategic

Inception is real. Here’s how to plant your ideas.

In the movie Inception, the characters debate whether it’s possible to plant ideas in people’s heads.

Can you make them think YOUR idea was THEIR idea to begin with? 🤔

LOL. Anyone who has ever worked in an office knows the answer is YES.

Inception is 80% of what “leadership without authority” is. Lao Tzu said it best: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

All those times your manager agreed to your idea because they thought it was their idea? That was inception.

Now that we agree inception is real, be mindful of the ideas you’re planting. Why? Because the issues you shine attention on will influence what your audience thinks about. And ultimately, whether they agree to your idea.

What you spend time on gets aggrandized--which means you might accidentally turn a non-issue into an issue.

Influence and PersuasionWes KaoAugust 15, 2019Influence and Persuasion, Framing ideas, Positioning

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What is a spiky point of view?