Let's face it!

It's either that your firm is intelligence-active or it's not. And, it's quite regrettable that some executives are still quick to dismiss Competitive Intelligence (CI), even in this highly sophisticated 21st century. Others think that intelligence means espionage. They're missing the boat by dismissing competitive intelligence while some of their smartest competitors may be hammering them using competitive intelligence.

It's simply due to lack of knowledge on the part of the executives. We're very sorry that we must say it so bluntly about these top executives, but it's ignorance, mediocrity and lack of sophistication. Nothing more. Each time we deal with this issue, considering our experience, we can feel the surge of adrenaline in us.

	Like the big old tall ostrich, some executives think they can escape reality by hiding from it!
Indeed, there're business executives that are putting their heads in the sand like an ostrich does when she is faced with a challenging situation. These executives refuse to confront or acknowledge the magnitude of the predicament they face in this ferociously competitive era. They're making themselves believe that Competitive Intelligence is not happening while their competitors are killing them with it. In fact, they are their competitors' dreams come true.

The same executives that are dismissing competitive intelligence are the same ones, whose potential customers are quickly dismissing their offerings - without adequate knowledge - and the executives can't figure out why they're not retaining as many customers as they would like to; or why they're not acquiring as many new customers as they would like to. Other such non-intelligence-active executives keep wondering why they can't maximize the profitability and longevity of some valued relationships - be it high-impact strategic partnerships or affluent or institutional clients or investors - to the extent they would like to.

At the same time, the executives that have understood and applied CI are hammering their competition; beating them very decisively; and are dominating the competitive landscape in their various market areas - year after year. They're driving higher performance than their peers.

Smart executives in the leading firms are heeding the time-tested military leadership principle:

No matter how enmeshed a commander becomes in the elaboration of his own thoughts, it is sometimes necessary to take the enemy into account.

Former British Prime Minister - Winston Churchill

CI is not easy. Don't think it's an easy way out for business executives that are not willing or able to excel in other leadership areas. It requires more than ordinary business brains and acumen. It's not being crafty, being guile-laden or without a conscience or principles. It's not spying or the James Bond movie-type thrillers. It's not being unethical, being magical or being a psychic. Rather, it's doing business smarter and with greater finesse - and simply doing business more intelligently.

 

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