Our closest competitor is rolling out new AI features every month, making our leadership team feel like we are falling behind. How do we use the V/TO® and Keith Cunningham's distinction between a problem and a predicament to stay focused on our long-term plan?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a competitor launches a barrage of new AI features, it is easy for your leadership team to panic and lose focus. To steady the ship, you must first distinguish between a problem and a predicament. As Keith Cunningham outlines, a predicament is an environmental factor that you cannot change; you can only adapt to it. The rapid advancement of AI technology is a predicament. It is the new baseline of business.

Your competitor's feature releases are not your problem. Your problem is maintaining client retention and ensuring your own delivery remains highly valuable. To address this, return to your V/TO® and review your Core Focus and your 3-Year Picture. Ask yourselves: Does our competitor's rapid feature rollout actually threaten our ability to achieve our targets, or is it just a shiny distraction?

If your Core Focus is providing high-touch, relationship-driven outcomes, then racing to match every technological feature your competitor launches will actually dilute your brand. Use your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ to IDS® this issue objectively. Identify whether client churn is actually occurring because of these missing features. If it is not, then your competitor's noise is merely a distraction.

If you do need to respond, focus on execution rather than invention. Let your competitor pay the pioneer tax of testing and debugging new tools. Once a tool is proven, you can rapidly integrate it into your own workflows. This fast-follower approach keeps your development costs low and ensures your team remains focused on executing the core Rocks that actually drive profitability.