How to Win as an Underdog Lessons from David and Goliath | Episode 23

Episode 23 of The Designers of Change Podcast explores How to Win as an Underdog, drawing powerful lessons from the story of David and Goliath and applying them to leadership, business, and strategy. 

Underdogs don’t win by playing the same game. They win by changing the rules. 

In this episode we discuss
 • The danger of overconfidence
 • Why relying on yesterday’s success can make leaders weak
 • Why status and strength alone cannot guarantee victory
 • The power of changing the rules of engagement
 • Lessons from companies like Apple and Netflix
 • Why agility and unconventional thinking are critical for success 

Sometimes victory doesn’t come from being the strongest. It comes from thinking differently and playing to your strengths.  

#DesignersOfChange #UnderdogMindset #LeadershipLessons #DavidAndGoliath #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #GrowthMindset #LeadershipDevelopment 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Coming up on this episode of the Designers of Change podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

And so what you're out here today, and all of us we're going to face a goliath when the the odds are against you. How do you win when the odds are against you? When you are the underdog, when you don't have any resource, right? When the big bad whole face breeding down your neck. Do you run or do you fight? Well, here's the thing: if you're going to fight, you have to ensure that the squirrels is worth it. Now, if squares is worth it, then you have to take on your gulla.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

In a world filled with opposition, that we have to face every single day with many big bad wolves and other scary things that we are afraid to face. We wanna talk to you today about how you as an underdog can actually overcome. And so we're gonna be taking lessons from David and David and Gulliot Story. So you wanna stick and stay for this one. But before we jump into that, of course, we have to big up our amazing sponsors to Jace Myrie Media, Mind Food International, Super Letive Auto, Amanda's Kitchen, Grace Creates, SK Catering, Jesse's Home Decor, MAX247 Wrecking Services, also to Regional Consulting Services Limited in K-Man, Caribbean Gospel TV, and the self-care bar. You want to make sure you have a pen and paper, your iPad, whatever it is that you take notes on, you have to have that out today because it's going to be an interesting discussion.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Yes, another episode. And today we're going to talk about how you can win as an underdog in a world filled with Goliath. We want you to be a David. You know the thing when David was approaching Goliath, and this is one of the first lessons we want to ensure. When David heard that Goliath was there, he asked what was in it for him. And they said, you know what, whoever beat Goliath will get one of the king's daughter, they will be exempted from tax. And there was other perks in it. And so David asked three persons, what in it for me? But here's the thing: never go to war where there are no spoilers.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

We've shared that with you before.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

We share that with you. And so when David was about to take on Goliath, he said, he said, I want to subscribe to this. I want to subscribe to this. Because I want to take on this Goliath. I am not going to run from him. Even though the Israelites' army, they were afraid of Goliath. But because this guy, he was a war champion. He was a big tall guy. And so you are out here today, and all of us we are going to face a Goliath. When the the odds are against you. How do you win when the odds are against you? When you are the underdog, when you don't have any resource, when the big bad hole face breeding down your neck. Do you run or do you fight? But here's the thing if you're going to fight, you have to ensure that the spoils is worth it. Now, if spoils is worth it, then you have to take on your Goliath. Now, a lot of times Goliath are overconfident. Goliath was overconf overconfident. And when somebody is overconfident, it is also a sign that they can be defeated. And so when you are going to take on your Goliath, your Goliath will be all more sure of victory. But you can't allow that to scare you away. Goliath also rely on yesterday's success. We have seen a lot of major companies went under it because they are relying on yesterday success. And here's the thing never let your last big thing be your last big thing. And so when you are going up against a Goliath in any era of your life as a leader, as a small company, whatever it is, your Goliath is relying on last your success because that is what give give them the what I want to intimidating factor.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

So so, in other words, your opponent, right, for want of a better word, is relying on the fact that they have had past wins. But it doesn't necessarily mean that that's going to be the outcome that they're going to receive while in combat with you, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Goliath also rely on stat and status and strength. Because Goliath, he was known. He was known, his name, he was the undefeated, everyweight champion. He was a big bad wolf. And so when you're going up against your Goliath, is is is it is publicized. His victories publicized. And so when you see something coming up against you that that is dominant, when Netflix was going up against a Blackbuster, Blackbuster was the big bad Goliath with over thousands of stores, billions of revenue, and yours was a little company coming up coming up. So how do you win? How do you win those battles as an underdog?

SPEAKER_00 5:41

And underdog meaning that you have pretty much just started business. You probably you're fresh out of university and you're stepping into corporate and you don't have the experience. And an underdog could also mean an employee having to face an issue with their employer. Yes. The point is, Goliaths have experience, they have resources, they have certain skills, maybe special talents. Yes. Right? And so you have the status. Right. And status. And in your mind, you're thinking that I cannot win. I cannot win because of who I'm facing.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

But but you can win. So here's the first one. I want you to get your pen and paper right now while you are listening to this podcast. Because you can win against insurmountable ads in obstacles in Europe.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Can I say at this point in time that it doesn't have to be a person? Maybe you're facing an illness. We want you to apply these principles from the David and Goliath story to whatever it is you're facing in whatever area of life because it is possible.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

It is possible. And the first one is to change the rule of engagement with your Goliath. In business, they call it the blue water strategy. And so the blue water strategy are the changing rule of engagement. When David was going up against Goliath, Saul the king wanted to give him his armor.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Because Goliath was expecting a swear-to-sword combat combat. David said, No, I'm not going to fight you on your terms. So you can't fight your Goliath on their terms. You have to change the rules of engagement. Goliath said, You know what? David said, You know what? I'm going to use a sling. Now, in that moment, Goliath's weapon became obsolete because David was now as like a sniper shooter. Let me put it this in business context. When Apple entered the music industry, right? We were still listening to music from a CD, from Cassette, from wherever you are. So Apple said, you know what? We are not going to use the same method that all these big guys are using. We are going to stream. We are going to produce Apple. Apple is going to stream Apple Music. And so Apple made those their competitor.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Absolutely. And so you need to.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

We don't need your CDs. We don't need your CD player. We have a platform that our people will listen music from. So in that case, the more people who are iPhone users, they're going to stop buying CDs and CD players. So that's what I just want to mention also. Right? The person you are facing may be comfortable in their own area of what it is they do. But you can put a spin on it. You can come with a different perspective. And that may be the winning one.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

And so that is true. When you change the rule of engagement, what you are saying is that you make Goliath weapon obsolete in that moment.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

Because a sword versus a sling in that moment, swordmanship was absolute obsolete in that moment. In that one particular moment.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

It didn't matter. Yeah. Right?

SPEAKER_01 9:16

And so as a leader, whatever you are going to face, you don't want to face Goliath and their term. You want to change the rule of engagement and fight them on your term. Let your weakness, let your strength strength become their disadvantage. And let your disadvantage become your advantage. Because in that moment, a sling was like a sniper shooter going up against a sword man. And so in that moment, Goliath with his big strength, it was now a disadvantage. Another one when facing your Goliath, you must have different perspective.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

Perspective can change a lot of things. You know, back in the 80s, before chewing gum was what it is, chewing gum was just a bland piece of resin. Resin that people used to chew on. And so you know what Wrigley's though? Wrigley's today is a massive brand in the candy industry. Wrigley says, what if I add flavor to the chewing gum? And that's all Wrigley's did and revolutionize the industry. No. Absolutely. Anybody could have added flavour to the chewing candles. But they never did. They never did. And so Wrigley's add flavour to it. And what Wrigley's did, Wrigley's come out with um winter fresh. They come out with juicy fruity. They come out with big red. They come out with spearmint. All Wrigley's did was to add flavor to this thing that nobody likes. And then and then Wrigley's reposition just the chewing gum. It is now to freshen your bread. It is now to whiten your teeth. And so when you are faced with your Goliath, you have to add up a new perspective. When David looked at Goliath, David looked at him and said, Goliath is too big to miss.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

You can't miss him, right? You can't miss him. But it could be that you could have had, well, everybody else who didn't want to face Goliath was saying, he's too big for me. He's going to hurt me. But David's perspective was so different that he was saying, he's so big, I can't miss. I can't miss. Right? Not only that, I also want to mention, um, you know, you started out with this saying that David specifically said, I don't saw. Thank you for your armor, thank you for your shield. I don't need them. Understand this. David was David was a boy.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Yes, he was a boy. He was a boy.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Shields are actually so big, heavy, because that's of course, it's a it's a protective gear. Not only that, but the sword themselves are heavy. David could not manage this kind of military equipment, and so he knows right then and there that this is listen, this is just not for me. I will use something else, and so you know, I love that. But you know, there's so much more that is to come. We want to take a break right here when we get back. We have some more lessons to share about the David and Goliath story, and we can use these as underdogs when we're facing some really serious opponents. Stick and stay. But you know, fresh off our break, we want to say a huge thank you to our amazing sponsors, Jace Marie Media, Mind Food International, Super Letive Auto, this self-care bar. We're gonna talk about that a little later. Also, MAX24-7 Wrecking Services, Amanda's Kitchen, Grace Creates, Jesse's Home Decor, SKatering, Regional Consulting Services, all the way from K-Man, Caribbean Gospel TV. And listen, we have so many more sponsors to come because guess what? We speak about making effective changes in our life. So, Mr. Right, right back to you.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Yeah, so we were talking about changing your perspective when you are faced with Goliath. Right. And Goliath means that insurmountable odds, difficulty that stuck against you. That and you have you are now the underdog, and you can be the underdog in in every facet of life. And so when you are the underdog, you have to change your perspective.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

Yes, you have to.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

If not, you are going to go underneath. What can I do different? Where where does my advantage lie? And so even in the media industry right now, we are seeing where radio station, newspaper company, they have to they have to start because they are now the underdog. One time they were the big dog. They were now the big dog, but no, but with social media and podcasts, they are they have now become the underdog. So how do they change your perspective to live in an ever-changing world? And so you have to, as a leader, as an individual, you have to be able to change your perspective so that you can win those insurmountable hearts. You know, when when we go to America, when Barna Noble was the giant, Amazon comes up against Barna Nobles in their early years, in the early 90s, and Amazon says, You know what, we are going to sell books online. While the physical bookstore they were machuming, the Barner Nobles, they were the big giant. But when Amazon came and they were like the David, and they say, you know what, we are going to do something different. Our perspective is that we are going to sell books online. And now Amazon is a giant. So what can you do as a leader to change your perspective when you are faced with the ads? Because you can't look at it the same way. You know, when they said something, when I say if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Let me say it again. When I said that if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. So when you are faced with your Goliath, you have to change your perspective, you have to see things differently.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Powerful, powerful. And you know, I don't want us to ever think that, you know, when we say these things, we think that it's a walk in the park. No. Because you would have had 20, 30, 40, maybe 60, 70 years of conditioning that you are telling yourself that this situation cannot change. Oh, I grew up like this. I'm from a poor background, so I'm always going to be at a disadvantage. There's a lot that you have to unlearn and relearn, and so it takes time for you to actually get to that place where you can say, Well, I'm no longer a victim. Yeah. You know, this is my story and I can change it. However, this is something that is so vital from the David and Goliath principle because David had a different perspective. Now, another one that I know you you have in your arsenal to unpack is we have to be agile. But what does agility really mean?

SPEAKER_01 17:04

I mean, here's the thing when with the Goliaths of this world. The Goliaths of this world, they are big and they are sluggish. Let me say it again. The Goliaths of this world, they are big and they are sluggish. And we can see it in organization. When an organization grows to let's say they have 50,000 employees, 30,000 employees, it is very hard for an organization to change course. For example, Blackbuster. Blackbuster, it was very hard for Blackbuster to change course because they have thousands of stores. They have thousands of employees. So they are big and they are sluggish. So when David was facing Golek, Golette was a big man. Yeah. He had an armor, he had javelin.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

So he would have been slow.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

He would have been slow. Now think about David. When David was facing Golek, David never had any armor. The guy was free, he was new. Young, yeah, he was agile. And so if you are a leader and you are not agile in this world, change is going to take you out. You have to be able to be agile, to be able to adapt to change and do it quickly. Do it quickly.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Because the changes are happening quickly.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

The changes are happening quickly.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

It could be that when you are facing your insurmountable odds, the institution that you may be up against, whatever the case is, they would have had years and years, decades of policies that they can't even change overnight either. What are the loopholes that you can possibly find that would help your story, would help to benefit you? You have to start looking at things in that kind of way. Here's another thing too, um, Mr. Wright. Sometimes when we feel as though we are the we're we're the we're the we're the grasshoppers. Remember the story in the Bible with the 12 spies, and only two of them came back with good report. The others said the other 10 said, oh, we're like we're like grasshoppers in these people's eyes, which nothing never goes so, right? But you know, in order for you to not view yourself like that, it means you have to play to your strengths.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

What are your strengths? What are the advantages that you have that you're missing right now that you can use? Those things are leverage for you to get out of the situation. Let me give you a really practical example. Let's say, for instance, you're saying, Boy, I want to apply for this job. I don't have the degree, but I have more years of service than what they're asking for. As a recruiter, that's fine. Maybe, maybe we did the company can help to send you to school to get you qualified. Maybe they actually need somebody like you. You know, maybe it is that you don't have the experience, but you have the degree. You don't know. Play to your strengths. What do you have in your hand? We're going back to the Bible again. You know, when Moses was at the Red Sea, and you know, he's like, God, hey, listen, fix this. And God is like, What do you have in your hand? Yeah, stretch it out. What do you have in your hand that you can use as your strength?

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Yeah, and and that's another point or your tackle your Goliath. Play to your strength, play to your advantage. You know, Bruce Lee said something. Bruce Lee said, I don't fear the man who knows 10,000 kick kicks. You let me put that. He said, Bruce Lee said, I don't fear the person who knows 10,000 different kicks. He said, I fear the man who practice one kick 10,000 times. Because he has mastered that. And so play to your strength, play to what you master. You know, when when David killed the girl um the beers and the and the lion, he uses sling.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

He uses sling.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

So he knew his capability.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

He knows his capability.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

And he had a track record.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

And he has a track record and you have a track record. So what is your track record? You know, when Shelly and Fraser Price um break out in the hundred meter, um, 100 meter and become the world champion, Olympic champion. What Shelly and Fraser Price did? Shelley and Fraser Price as a start that no other female had. When she gets out of that block, she was almost 10 meters in front of you. Now it is your opportunity to catch Shelly and Fraser Price, but she knows that when the guns go, she's going to be in front of you. That's her that's her arm strength. And she plays that and she wins the gold medal from that. No, you can't play with with Goliath's strength. If you know Goliath's strength is here, do not contest Goliath and his strength. You have to play to your strength and That is what give you your advantage. David could not use Saul Sword. He knows nothing about swordmanship. He knows nothing about swordmanship. But he knows every single thing about a sling and a stone.

SPEAKER_02 22:16

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

And that is what makes the difference. So play to your strength. Netflix played to this their strength. They did not focus on Blackbuster strength. Spirit airline play to their strength. They are the playing, they are the home of the beer fear. They don't try to compete with Delta. They don't try to compete with American airline.

SPEAKER_00 22:35

They did their own thing. And then guess what happened? The entire airline market started playing off of spirit strength because they realized, man, these people are making money over there.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Yeah. And so play to your strength.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Um, you know, uh, as we look to wrap up, there is something that I like to tell people because sometimes we think that we can just follow the traditional methods all the time. But life is constantly changing, the world we're living in is changing. So sometimes you have to embrace unconventional strategies in order for you to win as an underdog.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Yes, yes. I mean, when when when David went against Golette, I'm sure they were laughing at David. Of course they were. Where are you going with us?

SPEAKER_00 23:24

They were telling him to go who's gonna be like, Where are you going with us?

SPEAKER_01 23:27

What are you doing here? Where are you going? You know, when Uber popped up on the scene, Uber said, you know what? We are going to challenge these taxi guys. We are not going to say it's a taxi service, we are going to say ride sharing. We are going to share ride around here. And guess what? That was uncommand. That was unheard of. You can pay somebody a$15 or$5 to go wherever you want to go by using your cab. You can do it part-time. We are going to use an conventional strategy. So when you face your goal, here's what I want you to do. I want you to break the rule. Not the law. Don't break the law. If you break the law, the police will lock you up. I want you to break the rules. The rules are man-made to achieve your purpose and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

But you want you to break the rules, there's societal norms, there are status quo. Exactly. You don't have to operate like that. And sometimes those are the same confines that keep us stuck and limited. So, as an underdog, you have to look out there in the market for the needs that are not being met, and you have to find those unconventional ways to meet them. And so, guess what? This whole discussion absolutely love it. Um, I know that if you feel as though you are at a major disadvantage, is you're missing something with the change of perspective, you can actually see that you can be victorious regardless of how big your Goliath is.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

As as Wayne Dia say, if you change the way you look at things, you look at change. So, whatever Goliath you are facing today, and the last one, you you you want to pray, you want to invite God into the equation.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

That's that's how you get the strategies.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

You have to use faith. So that's the last one. Pray. For those of you you probably are not a faith-based person, but I would like for you to invite Jesus for you to invite God in that battle. Yeah, man. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 25:38

Because for if God is for us, who can be against us?

SPEAKER_01 25:42

So that means if you invite God in you, the odds change in your favor.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

It changes in your favor because there's more with you than those who are against you. And I could go on and on and on because we have a book that reminds us every day of our battle tactics, and so we're victorious, we're simply just walking out our daily life. So, guys, this was just a powerful, powerful you know, episode. Again, we want to thank our amazing sponsors for making this possible to Jace Marie Media, Mind Food International, our baby. By the way, we are available, we're getting booked months in advance for international trainings. We'll be there in your country, in your organization. If you need us, just let us know what your training needs are, and we will be there. Also, to Super Letive Auto, um, Grace creates Amanda's Kitchen, Jesse's Home Decor, SK Catering, Max 24 7 Wrecking. Also, we have Regional Consulting Services Limited in K-Man, Caribbean Gospel TV, or our brothers and sisters all over the world. Um, they're working so hard. We are grateful for what we are able to produce. And just before we go, I want to show you guys something.

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