What’s the easiest way to stand out?  Obviously, you need to be different than everybody else.  Being different in itself isn’t enough to carry you through to success, though.  You also have to be better, but how?

Let’s face it, there are certain things that you don’t want to be cheap — you want to go instead to the best, the most capable and qualified person for the job. Good heart surgery is one of these things, as is reliable structural engineering. What about design, though?

Diversification and persistence are areas in which creatives and leaders make decisions on a daily basis. In this story, I’d like to share a bit of perspective on when to give up, when to press through, and how we can get the best return on our investments of energy.

Ira Glass, the host and producer of the Public Radio International storytelling program “This American Life,” expounds on the importance of fighting through the beginning stages in your career, work, and life.

The problem with groupthink and design by committee is that, if the dynamic doesn’t end shortly after the beginning of the process, our end product caters to the lowest common denominator of the group, and it’s nearly guaranteed to be unspectacular.