The Real Risk

"Everywhere you look you’ll see different businesses telling the same story, because it feels safer to conform than to stand out."

"And yet we fall into the trap of amplifying our similarities, rather than risk telling the story about what sets us apart."

That's Bernadette Jiwa of the Story of Telling, and she's right, of course.

I visit 10-15 different cities every year, all over the world, and the things that are the same about the radio stations in each city far outweigh the things that are wildly different.

Yet, it is the different that we notice.

It is the different listeners notice.

It is the different that become legendary.

I know how difficult it is to step away from the others, to be out there totally alone, by yourself, exposed for everyone to see and criticize, unsafe even within your own company.

But you'll never be great without that kind of attention.