Blog: Underdog
As the immersive. team grows, we have been talking about how we see ourselves, or more importantly how others see us. We need to be clear to our clients and prospects who we are, what we stand for as well as what we do. For the people we hope to hire, it's the same along with clarity on where they can go with us, what autonomy can mean and how we hope to develop meaningful careers.
When I talk about the business, where I see us I have used a word that I feel makes us what we are. That single word...Underdog…
It’s a contentious word and some of the immersive. team believes that I’m wrong to use it. There’s potential for it to sound negative, lacking confidence rather than just humble. But for me it’s positive, the thing that will help our small business grow.
Now I know that in business and in life, no one likes to think they are in second place. From school sports day onwards whoever wins gets the glory. But I see our business differently, that as a growing company we will always be playing catch up if we measure ourselves in that way. Always disappointed with the outcome and that we have to be number one to be succeeding. Maybe it’s my poor sporting performance as a child but being at the front, being the one to ‘beat’ brings its own issues. If you always win, one day you’ll lose and not be able to deal with it.
As the underdog, we have nothing to prove. Sure, we won’t always win but equally that means we aren’t afraid of losing. You know that sometimes you have to go again and have another go, I post this on Linkedin every Monday morning, as I believe no matter how good the previous week, we go again.
Us underdogs aren’t worried about who is behind them, because we don’t care. Instead we look forward, seeing who is ahead of us. We learn from their success and their mistakes, carving out our own path, delivering value to clients, bringing innovation to what we do and it helps us to keep in mind that we need to constantly improve and evolve both as a supplier and an employer.
“The fact of being an underdog changes people in ways that we often fail to appreciate. It opens doors and creates opportunities and enlightens and permits things that might otherwise have seemed unthinkable.”
- Malcolm Gladwell
Underdogs like us don’t have to defend a reputation. We can focus on what we do, who we do it for, keeping close to our clients. I’ve seen it already in our bigger competitors that their founders are a long way from the client coal face. That is more than just about their scale, it’s that they have taken the client for granted, that winning the business was the end goal, that winning is the end of the journey rather than the start.
If we don’t care about winning for winning's sake, then the good work we do for clients puts them at the heart of our thoughts rather than wasting time defending our title as the winners. Win, lose or draw, we are always winning, becoming better at what we do, making a business that works with clients that we love.
Best of all, everyone is cheering for you, willing you to win. We all love seeing teams of people and their companies take on the big players, disrupt and overcome. In my sector, no one is going to cheer the huge corporate RPO when they win business but I know when we do, we’ll get the love of the crowd, that they have our backs and want us to succeed.
So immersive. as the underdog makes perfect sense to me.
But am I wrong?
What do you think?
About
Martin Dangerfield immersive. CEO is a seasoned recruiter, talent acquisition leader and strategist (with a small 's').
With a straight-talking, results-focused approach he has recruited on a Global, Regional and Local level, creating and leading teams of recruiters, brand specialists and HR professionals in multiple locations.
To schedule a call with Martin click here.