25/11/2022
We’ve all heard it several times, all it takes to succeed is hard work, intelligence, perfect opportunity and a talented leader. But we all know that this is not true. You know a hard working man who isn’t wealthy. You know a talented guy down your street who is not successful. You know a brilliant idea that hasn’t caught on.
Success takes more than these things. According to Ash Ali and Hassan Kuba, success requires something called “The Unfair Advantage”. Life is not fair. Life is unfair.
WHAT IS THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE?
An Unfair Advantage is a condition, asset or circumstance that puts you in a favourable business position. Your Unfair Advantages can’t easily be copied or bought. Your set of Unfair Advantages is unique to you.
The good news is that every single human being has an unfair advantage. Think about David and Goliath. David was small, and all he knew had to use was a sling. Goliath was a big giant whom you can’t kill by hitting on any part of his body except his head. This was David’s specialty. This was David’s unfair advantage.
It is the same unfair advantage people from Kenya enjoy in long distance races. Most of Kenyan elite runners are from the same town, Kalenjins. They live and train in high altitude area. This is their unfair advantage.
MINDSET
Mindset is also very important for success in life. There are two types of mindset according to the psychologist Carol Dweck. Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset.
Someone with a growth mindset views intelligence, abilities, and talents as learnable and capable of improvement through effort. Someone with a fixed mindset views those same traits as inherently stable and unchangeable. You need a growth mindset to succeed. You must believe that you can succeed and work towards it. You must believe that you can improve on what’s your unfair advantage.
MILES FRAMEWORK
1. Money
2. Intelligence and insight
3. Location and luck
4. Education and expertise
5. Status
These are unfair advantages that one can have. You must study yourself. Realize your unfair advantage and make use of it.
Success is all about doubling down on what is your advantage.
Your unfair advantage can be your height, your ability to grasp numbers, your ability to speak, your ability to show empathy. It could be anything.
Find it and use it.
