Ignore The Competition and Focus On Yourself

Years ago, I had a boss who loved to quote former Intel CEO Andrew Grove, saying, “I am paranoid because only the paranoid survive.” At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I quickly realized what that was code for. I’d get random emails that would say, “did you see what competitor is doing” or “we need to be doing this thing too” right after a competitor had announced something.

By nature, media people are competitive. Journalists are fighting for stories. You don’t want to be second. And so, you’re constantly aware of what your competition is doing so that you’re not chasing the same story that they are.