Fear is the real enemy

I am not going to give a critique of the current Nicki Minaj and Cardi B altercation which involved throwing shoes and words at an exclusive fashion event. As a 45 yo white business woman that doesn’t listen to Hip Hop I know I am not in a position to comment. But it got me thinking, while this scenario is playing out spectacularly in public I have witnessed many similar feuds between businesses play out behind the scenes (minus the shoe throwing), and the cause, in my opinion, is fear. Both these talented women are a business and brand in their own right; one is an industry veteran with over 200 awards and the other a new kid on the block making spectacularly fast traction. In business, I have been both the new kid and the industry veteran, and I have to say holding the #1 position in industry was harder and more fear-ridden than I envisaged. Why? Because you have a lot more to lose especially when some severe competition comes along. One of the common complaints I hear from entrepreneurs regards social media stars in their industry and disrupters that make a huge impact. If you feel threatened and fearful of new competition the natural inclination is to lash out and attack the legitimacy of the newcomer. When the newcomer feels attacked (and they will hear what you are saying) they react defensively, the result is two personal brands damaged along the way. When cake stars started to gain traction on Instagram, I felt a little threatened. I had worked my butt off for a decade to become an industry leader. People I had never heard of who had been making cakes for a year or two all of a sudden had a million followers; it was a hard pill to swallow. However, I had to acknowledge, that this is the nature of the business, so I reached out and contacted a few, and they were lovely, I learnt a lot from them. What if instead of feeling threatened Nicki Minaj had welcomed Cardi B into the industry? And what if Cardi B had been gracious enough to acknowledge that women like Nicki had paved the way for her career? Not only could have they done wonders for their personal brands, but they could also have held up an example for others to follow, making the industry itself healthier and better for it. My message is this, as industry veterans, we can become sidetracked and threatened by new competitors more easily than we admit and it’s important to note that fear is at the root of this discomfort so acknowledge it and weed it out. For new kids on the block, you could save yourself a lot of angst by acknowledging your peers with respect and dignity, something I think often does not happen enough. That's just my 2 cents! I would love to hear your thoughts on dealing with competitors.

#Fear #Competitors #LetsGetHonest #Leadership #WomenOfLinkedIn #Entrepreneur #Entrepreneurship #EmbraceTheSuck #ConsciousKindness #PersonalBranding #Brand