Russia's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik shows an amazing amount of similarities to the way the business world has changed over the years.
The first thing I think of, is the statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin said today: "We take a rightful pride in the fact that it was our nation which opened the way to the stars for humanity." And they did. However...
Sputnik video, Parts 1, 2, 3 below
Getting there first can give you bragging rights, but that no longer ensures you're going to be the market leader over time. In the past, getting first to market usually meant you would hold the superior position (think McDonalds); that no longer is the case. Many times today, the first to market works out a lot of the bugs, then someone following close behind can surge ahead while learning mistakes at the leaders' expense.
Another interesting correlation, is how in business the face of a company isn't necessarily what makes the company great. For example, in the Russian space program their true hero was Sergei Korolyov, a rocket scientist who was the one truly responsible for opening up the space age.
What I like about him is he was kept a secret during his lifetime. The competition didn't know that he existed. That's another way of saying the inner workings of the program wasn't known until the outer display was seen. That's a competitive advantage.
Last, just like today, the rivalry between Russia and the United States has grown into a partnership, where the two nations work together on numerous missions.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, not only congratulated and acknowledged the Russian accomplishments, but also said, "We have much learned from each other, and I think we can go father together than either of us can go separately."
This has also been one of the trends of recent years in business: former rivals working together in certain areas while continuing to compete in others.
The world and the world of business has truly changed over the 50 years since Sputnik left the earth.
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» 50th Anniversary of Sputnik and Getting there First from TheAlphaMarketer
The 50th Anniversary of Sputnik reminds me of how online marketing has changed the way business works. Not so much the obvious technology that helps streamline things and help use information better, but more importantly in the area of getting... [Read More]
Tracked on: October 4, 2007 2:25 PM | Permalink to Trackback