What belief do you hold that your competitors think is naive?

Pause...

Are you used to talking about strengths?  About advantages and product benefits?.

But the "naive" belief? That is where the real work is.

It is the belief you hold that makes other people in your industry smile. They think you are a fool. Or a romantic. Or just plain wrong.

This belief is your leverage. Or your anchor. You must decide.

The Watchmakers

In the early 2010s, the Swiss watch industry was at its peak. They argued about heritage, mechanical movements, and complications.

Complications are the complex, tiny gears and springs that show mastery over time. They are the mark of true craft.

The industry was strong.

They thought the belief that a tech company could replace a luxury timepiece was naive.

When rumors of an "iWatch" began in California, the industry laughed. A watch was craft. It was status. It was permanent. A "wrist computer" was a gadget. A toy.

They were not wrong. But they were blinded.

Their competitors were not other watchmakers in Geneva. They were software engineers in Cupertino. Those engineers held a different "naive" belief: that the wrist was the next great frontier for connection.

The Swiss belief in "craft" was not a distinction. It was a blind spot. It stopped them from seeing the real competition.

Distinction or Blind Spot?

This brings us to your belief. The one they call naive.

You have two paths.

1. It is a Blind Spot.

You believe the old rules still matter. You believe in your craft, your distribution, or your legacy. You are defending a castle.

The enemy has planes.

Your "naive" belief is just nostalgia. It is a wall you have built to hide from the future. This wall will not hold.

2. It is an Indefensible Distinction.

This is the other path. Your "naive" belief is your true north.

• You believe in "doing no evil" in an industry that cuts corners.

• You believe in human craftsmanship in an age of automation.

• You believe in lifetime value when everyone else wants quarterly returns.

This belief is not a blind spot. It is a weapon.

It is the hill you will die on. It is also the hill you will win on. It is the one thing your competitors cannot copy, because they truly believe it is naive.

Look at your belief.

Is it a wall protecting you from reality?

Or is it the one clear, hard edge you have left?