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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalajiving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven minute Leadership podcast with your host Paul Fellovaledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode three twenty four. Do you Know your Competitor's

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<v Speaker 2>Next move? This episode isn't just about business competition. It's

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<v Speaker 2>about leadership awareness, strategic thinking, and never letting yourself get

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<v Speaker 2>too comfortable at the top. Whether you're running an EMS service,

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<v Speaker 2>managing a tech startup, or leading a team in a

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<v Speaker 2>corporate office, one truth always holds there's always someone watching you,

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<v Speaker 2>trying to outperform you and preparing their next move. The

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<v Speaker 2>question is are you doing the same, So let's talk

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<v Speaker 2>straight for a second. Too many leaders operate in a bubble.

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<v Speaker 2>They focus inward, polish internal processes, and assume their reputation

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<v Speaker 2>or longevity will protect their position in the market. That's

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<v Speaker 2>a dangerous mindset. Leadership isn't just about leading your team.

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<v Speaker 2>It's also about staying sharp and anticipating what's coming next,

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<v Speaker 2>especially when it's coming from the outside. You have to

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<v Speaker 2>be aware of the landscape beyond your organization. So Here's

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<v Speaker 2>how I keep tabs on competitors and use that information

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<v Speaker 2>to lead better. Number one, I observe patterns, not just posts.

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<v Speaker 2>Don't just scroll your competitors' social media or skim their website.

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<v Speaker 2>Watch for patterns. Are they hiring rapidly, launching new services,

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<v Speaker 2>doubling down on video content, expanding geographically? Every move they

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<v Speaker 2>make is a signal, and smart leaders know how to

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<v Speaker 2>read them. When I see another ambulance service hiring five

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<v Speaker 2>new paramedics in a neighboring zip code, I don't ignore it.

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<v Speaker 2>I ask why now? What do they know that I

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<v Speaker 2>don't Is a new contract coming or they getting ready

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<v Speaker 2>to submit for a bid that we haven't seen yet.

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<v Speaker 2>In number two, I think like a chess player, not

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<v Speaker 2>a Checkers player. Checkers is reactive, Chess is strategic. Leadership

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<v Speaker 2>is chess. If you know your competitor just landed a

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<v Speaker 2>new partnership or rolled out a new pricing model, what's

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<v Speaker 2>your next move? Do you adjust? Do you innovate or

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<v Speaker 2>do you go silent and wait? The leaders who win

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<v Speaker 2>are already thinking two steps ahead, asking what's next for

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<v Speaker 2>them and what does that mean for us? And here's

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<v Speaker 2>the secret. Most organizations telegraph their next move. You just

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<v Speaker 2>have to be listening and watching. Number three. I don't copy.

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<v Speaker 2>I counter. Too many leaders copy their competitors. That's not strategy,

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<v Speaker 2>that's lazy leadership. Real leadership means knowing the move your

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<v Speaker 2>competitor is about to make, and having the guts and

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<v Speaker 2>the insight to go a different direction that serves your

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<v Speaker 2>mission better. And I'll give you a real world example.

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<v Speaker 2>When a nearby EMS agency started pushing social media campaigns

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<v Speaker 2>with polished videos, A few people asked me if we

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<v Speaker 2>should do the same. My answer was no. Instead, I

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<v Speaker 2>built our internal media training so that every employee could

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<v Speaker 2>be confident speaking to the camera, whether in uniform or

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<v Speaker 2>in front of a news crew. That was our move.

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<v Speaker 2>We didn't copy. We countered. Number four. I study the

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<v Speaker 2>game film. Just like in sports, you have to watch

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<v Speaker 2>the film. What did your competitor do during the last crisis,

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<v Speaker 2>How did they respond to staffing shortages? What was their

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<v Speaker 2>customer satisfaction? Like after a big event, You can learn

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<v Speaker 2>just as much from a competitor's failures as their successes, if.

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<v Speaker 1>Not more more.

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<v Speaker 2>I keep a literal folder in my notes app with

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<v Speaker 2>observations and insights from other organizations I've watched over the years,

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<v Speaker 2>patterns emerge, people repeat behaviors, and the writing is always

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<v Speaker 2>on the wall and last competitor. Intelligence isn't paranoia, it's preparation.

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<v Speaker 2>So let's just be clear. I'm not talking about spying.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm talking about staying professionally aware. The best leaders read

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<v Speaker 2>the room, the market, and the industry. They don't just

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<v Speaker 2>know their own numbers, they know the other guy's playbook,

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<v Speaker 2>or at least the parts that are visible. That kind

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<v Speaker 2>of awareness keeps you competitive, it keeps you sharp, and

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<v Speaker 2>more importantly, it keeps your team prepared for what's coming next.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's the bottom line. Great leaders don't just look inward.

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<v Speaker 2>They look outward too. They don't obsess over competitors, but

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<v Speaker 2>they don't ignore them either. If you don't know your

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<v Speaker 2>competitor's next move, you're not leading. You're reacting, and that's

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<v Speaker 2>not a position that you want to be in. So

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<v Speaker 2>start watching, start listening, and start anticipating, because the future

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<v Speaker 2>belongs to the leader who shows up ready. This has

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<v Speaker 2>been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you

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<v Speaker 2>for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>com