What Your Company Can Learn from This Parking Garage

"If there's one message I have stressed more than any other over the last few years," writes Bill Taylor at Harvard Business Online, "it is that it is not good enough to be pretty good at everything. The most successful companies, products, and brands have figured out how to become the most of something—not just adequate, but downright amazing."

And if he's has gotten any pushback, he continues, it's from people who insist there isn't anything spectacular about their company. Not everyone can be Apple or Facebook or Nike or Google, they reason—some products and services are simply boring or prosaic.

Au contraire, responds Taylor. And to make his point, he tells the story of the spectacularly designed, seven-story garage built by Robert Wennett in Miami Beach, Florida. "I first heard about 1111 Lincoln Road when I attended the American Express Luxury Summit in Park City, Utah," he notes. "That's right: Executives from some of the world's most exclusive brands were discussing the beauty and originality of a parking garage thousands of miles away. If that's not moving from adequate to amazing, I'm not sure what is."

The structure not only looks great, it has redefined what a parking garage can be. "The top two floors were designed to both hold cars and host events," says Taylor, "and they rent for as much as $15,000 per night."

The Po!nt: Try wrapping your head around the concept of a garage that hosts high-end charity functions, wine tastings and weddings and you'll see why Taylor believes your company can—and should—be amazing.

Source: Harvard Business Online.

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