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Unforced Errors:
- Microsoft overhauling its Windows 8 operating system, forcing people to learn an entirely new environment whether they stay with Windows or change to a Mac.
- Apple releasing the iPhone 5 with a horribly undercooked Maps app, creating a whirlwind of negative coverage and PR.
- Netflix’s entire 2011.
- Research in Motion spending over a year developing its Playbook tablet while neglecting its BlackBerry smart phone — only to release the tablet without built-in email functionality!
Most great business mistakes are unforced. They are self-inflicted. They tend to occur when companies lose sight of their greatest strengths, lose focus, and spread themselves too thin. You don’t need to compete in every product category — you only have to be excellent in a few. You don’t need 86 product releases this year. You only need a few terrific ones.
To avoid such errors, focus on your greatest strengths to the aggressive exclusion of everything else. Simplify your products, services and marketing relentlessly. Gather powerful qualitative insights from your customers to understand what they find emotional and compelling about your work. And then communicate that emotion to your market without interruption.
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