The Reasons Why
Success has many fathers,” so the saying goes, “but failure is an orphan.” Well, not around here. There are clear reasons why every also-ran described here did not succeed at the very highest level. Frequently, there are multiple causes.
Here are the areas where people, businesses, and ideas tend to fall short:
| Bad Decisions | Strategic blunders, tactical mistakes. As common in other domains as they are in business. On occasion they can be overcome. More frequently, not. |
| Poor Timing | Windows of opportunity rarely remain open for long and first-movers in any category have a tremendous advantage. Many great achievements fall to those whose readiness for success coincides more closely with the world’s readiness to receive a champion. |
| Outsider Status | Validation from “the establishment” is an important key to success. Many also-rans don’t have access to insiders, others fail to earn recognition from the experts within their domains. |
| Low Public Support | In some cases the very definition of an also-ran, the inability to win popular acclaim, acceptance, or adoption is also the primary cause why many products, ideas, and legacies suffer. |
| Lack of Desire | A lack of ambition, drive, or motivation is often the difference-maker. For many also-rans, for various reasons, surrender is the preferred option. |
| Weakness | Muscle counts. Inferiority in marketing, distribution, brand-building, or the star-making machinery leads many otherwise worthy contenders to fall short. |
| Poor Execution | When everything else aligns for success, a failure to execute in the moment often spells defeat, particularly in the domains of sports and business. |
| Bad Luck | Sometimes it just comes down to the way the dice rolls, the cards are dealt, or the cookie crumbles. |
| Lower Quality | Of course, many people, technologies, and businesses fail on the merits, their ideas, skills, or talents inferior to those of their competitors. |
| In The Shadow | A failure to emerge into the brightest light is frequently a function of the length and depth of the shadows cast, justifiably or not, by others. |
The Also-Rans 