If you're not Goliath, shouldn't you try to be David?

“Rules are made to be broken.” – Douglas MacArthur

According to a recent article from Malcolm Gladwell – author of the outstanding Blink and fascinating-but-flawed Outliers
– underdogs win when they break the rules. And he’s right. The “rules” work best for the big guys. The ones with bureaucracies and hierarchies and a whole bunch of other “-ies” that we don’t want to get into. But they’re a limitation for the little guy. And, as General MacArthur suggests, they’re made to be broken.

How?

By being disruptive, that’s how. Upsetting the apple cart. Playing Kirk to the Universe’s Kobayashi Maru. (And, yes. I am excited to see Star Trek this weekend).

Notice when someone like Ben Weisman asks, “Is your brand right for Twitter,” he’s really asking, is your company ready to break the rules. Weisman asks,

“Who maintains the brand’s voice? Does a brand ambassador exist?”

Those are the types of questions large companies ask. But, you know who speaks for your company, right? Ironically, the example Weisman quotes of someone using Twitter well is @Starbucks, who isn’t some corporate marketing drone. It’s one of the baristas. But, wait-a-minnit. Isn’t that “against the rules?” Yep. And other companies finding success on Twitter – such as Comcast – have done the same thing.

What other rules can you break?

• How about “You should never fire your customers?”
• Or, “You should never limit your customers’ choices.” (Though this video explains why you might want to):

• Only drive traffic to your own site. Steve Rubel argues it’s futile to try to build a destination web site. I’m not sure Steve’s right. Customers select their individual destinations based on how well you address their needs. But I certainly agree that you won’t succeed if all you do is play by the rules.
• Don’t be silly when trying to get a job. Though this guy is awfully compelling as a copywriter (may not be safe for work, depending on your rules).

One of the reasons I love the book Moneyball is it’s really an underdog story. David vs. Goliath. One where David played by different rules and beat their opposition. The question for you is, if you’re not Goliath, why are you letting him set the rules?

What do you think? Are rules made to be broken? Have you had success playing by a different set of rules? Tell us about it in the comments. We’d love to hear all about it.

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