SelfBrand Strategy III. The Maverick
The Maverick
Richard Branson
As much as leaders are part of the mythology of every country, so are underdogs. We have a soft spot for the rebel, the lone defier of convention who doesn't follow the established path, the Maverick. The Maverick strategy is also called reversed positioning because whatever the Leader stands for, you stand for the opposite.
Writers, artists, and creative people of all sorts are often mavericks by choice and personality. They can look the part so well that they seem straight out of central casting. The maverick or anti-leader position may be a great strategy for entrepreneurs. You build your company's point of difference as the antidote to the leader by positioning the leader's strengths as weaknesses. If you like to go against the grain, the maverick or anti-leader position may be for you. The strategy is simplicity itself. Whatever the leader in your industry or line of work is doing, think of doing the opposite (within reason).
The Maverick Personality
Maverick Brand
The Maverick has a contrarian mindset. You think in an unconventional way and you attract other people who also have a unique mindset (or are fascinated by off-beat people). You don't like to follow the established path. In fact, you seek out the road less traveled as your path to success. You tend to be a goal-orientated risk taker. You can be aggressive, egocentric and disagreeable, but you are also extroverted, lively and spontaneous. You don't mind looking and thinking differently than the norm, and are attracted to contrarian thinkers like yourself.
Most of the time you:
|
But sometimes you:
|
Generally people see you as:
|
But you can:
|
How to Execute the Maverick Strategy
See You Are a Brand, p. 56 - 58 for ideas, examples and exercises on how to execute the maverick strategy. You must be able to fill in the blank in the statement:
Maverick, or Reverse, Positioning: You are the opposite of the established leader __________ (insert name).