On the cover of the latest Harvard Business Review it says in huge letters “The New Rules of Competition”. Underneath are three bullet points, highlighted in yellow for extra urgency: Be paranoid. Disrupt yourself. Go to war for talent.
I looked at the title and turned to the piece inside, written by three big names from McKinsey. At first I felt merely weary, but then irritation took over. Ever since I started following these things — over 20 years ago — people have been claiming that the world is getting ever more competitive.
And for most of that time they have been peddling these same three “new” rules for dealing with it. If any of them were right, their lack of originality might not matter. Only they are not. All are wrong.