There are many manifestations of the sweet spot. Some examples:
Product Strategy
In this image, the sweet spot is avoiding competition while also focusing on what you do best. If you focus on the customer needs and ignore your own capabilities then you run the risk of failure to execute. If you only focus on what you can achieve, you might not find a market. If you drift too close to the competitors it creates other problems.
Sports
This image of a gold club shows how hitting the wrong part of the club yields a bad shot. There really isn’t alot of space for doing it right. You either hit the sweet spot or you have a lousy shot. I find tennis has the same effect.
Your Career
It’s tough to manage your career, but this chart shows how many people end up unhappy. Each circle is important and you need to balance them out.
Marketing
I’ve seen marketing go awry hundreds of times. My first product had terrible marketing despite being a good technology. I’ve also seen the opposite. The sweet spot is a balance.
One might argue that you can’t have it all. The sweet spot isn’t trying to magically be great at everything. It’s a worldview, an approach to life that says not to be extreme. Don’t just focus on one issue. Balance the issues out.
One might argue that this will lead to Jack of All Trades, Master of None syndrome. Although this is possible, I think it’s not a bad outcome. I love people who can do lots of things. Being a utility player, someone who can be flexible is important. That doesn’t mean you are bad at everything, but you don’t have to sacrifice other good things and obsess just about the one.
Balance in life, balance at play, balance at work. That is the true sweet spot.
Whatya think?