Why Following the Standard Isn’t Enough – Beyond the Standard

Standards Are a Starting Point, Not a Ceiling – Beyond the Standard Mindset.

Standards exist for a reason… But if all you do is follow the standard, you’ll never go beyond the standard. You’ll never stand out.

The best companies don’t just follow the standard – they question it, challenge it, and push beyond it.

The Comfort of Standards vs. The Risk of Innovation

It’s easy to follow a standard. Everything is defined for you – the measurements, the processes, the setup. All you have to do is implement it.

And for some businesses, that’s enough. They’ll function, they’ll deliver results, and they’ll survive.

But survival isn’t success.

Sticking to the standard means you’re only as good as everyone else following it. You’re not creating a competitive advantage, not innovating, not doing anything that makes you stand out.

Look at Tesla. They didn’t follow the standard rules of being a car company. They didn’t invest in traditional marketing, they redefined car sales, and they changed the industry. (Read more about Tesla’s approach)

Or take Nokia – once the leader in mobile phones. They followed the standard, believing their dominance was secure. Meanwhile, competitors pushed beyond the standard, innovating where Nokia stood still. The rest is history. (Read about Nokia’s downfall)

Standards Are a Starting Point, Not a Ceiling

Standards provide structure. But they shouldn’t define your limits. The real question should always be:
Can we do this better?

Companies that break beyond the standard build a culture of continuous improvement. They never settle for how things are – because how things are is never the best they can be.

How to Push Beyond the Standard

• Make improvement discussions part of every meeting. Always ask, how can we improve this?
• Hire the right people. You don’t want employees who just follow orders – you need people who push for better.
• Set improvement KPIs. If you don’t measure progress, you won’t make progress. Track it, evaluate it, and prioritize it.
• Use data to challenge assumptions. Just because something works doesn’t mean it’s optimal. Look at performance metrics and see where things can improve.
• Encourage a mindset shift. Make it clear that just following the standard isn’t enough. Reward those who challenge and improve.

💡 Want to see how Fixate helps businesses move beyond “good enough”? Explore our approach to continuous improvement.

The Biggest Obstacle? Change Management.

Going beyond the standard isn’t easy. The hardest part isn’t finding better ways to do things – it’s getting people on board.

People like familiar processes. They resist change.

To overcome this:

• Build continuous improvement into your company culture. Make it a core value that improvement is expected – not optional.
• Hire people who challenge you. If you only hire people who ‘follow the standard,’ you’ll stay stuck.
• Track improvement success. Measure and celebrate areas where your team goes beyond the standard.

Good Enough vs. Better: A Simple Choice

Following the standard will get you where you need to go. It’s like walking to work – it gets the job done.

But going beyond the standard? That’s like driving a high-performance car. It’s faster, more efficient, and a better experience.

👉 Want to move beyond the standard? Find out how Fixate can help.

Standards give businesses structure, but they shouldn’t define the limit. Companies that only follow the norm fail to stand out. True success comes from questioning, improving, and finding better ways to operate. By embedding a culture of continuous improvement, hiring people who challenge the status quo, and setting KPIs that drive innovation, companies can move beyond the average and build real competitive advantages.