Better for whom? Two companies competing is probably worse for the companies but better for the customers.
*
The vibe I get from this text is the following:
There are two things that contribute to winning in competition: (1) generally being good… and that is a good thing; and (2) being similar to others… and that is a two-edged sword. Similarity helps you replace others, but similarity also helps others to replace you.
The standard advice is not to worry about similarity, and just fully focus on being better. Not completely wrong, but notice that this advice sometimes serves your boss better than it serves you, if everyone keeps doing that. If instead you become good but different from others, you are more difficult to replace, and that gives you a good position to negotiate.
(In the version for entrepreneurs, your “boss” are the customers as a collective.)
To avoid misunderstanding, being good at what you do is generally a good advice. Just don’t conflate “being good at what you do” and “being an exact copy of other people who are good at what they do”. Yes, being a copy of someone who is good makes you also good, but it is not the only way.
Better for whom? Two companies competing is probably worse for the companies but better for the customers.
*
The vibe I get from this text is the following:
There are two things that contribute to winning in competition: (1) generally being good… and that is a good thing; and (2) being similar to others… and that is a two-edged sword. Similarity helps you replace others, but similarity also helps others to replace you.
The standard advice is not to worry about similarity, and just fully focus on being better. Not completely wrong, but notice that this advice sometimes serves your boss better than it serves you, if everyone keeps doing that. If instead you become good but different from others, you are more difficult to replace, and that gives you a good position to negotiate.
(In the version for entrepreneurs, your “boss” are the customers as a collective.)
To avoid misunderstanding, being good at what you do is generally a good advice. Just don’t conflate “being good at what you do” and “being an exact copy of other people who are good at what they do”. Yes, being a copy of someone who is good makes you also good, but it is not the only way.