You Can’t Copy Success: Why Context, Not Best Practices, Drives Sustainable Growth

Imagine a management team desperate to replicate the success of another fast-growing business. They read all the books, attend industry conferences, and are excited to implement the famous 'best practices' that led to soaring results elsewhere. Months later, they're frustrated: profits are flat, employee engagement is low, and no one can explain why their efforts have fizzled. Amid stacks of case studies, one director stops, leans back in her chair, and points to a key difference—they're operating in a stagnant market, not a rising one. Their processes are tailored to a nimble startup, while here, bureaucracy rules and customer expectations are decades old.

The team realizes they’ve mistaken correlation for causation; what worked in one place arose from a unique set of circumstances, not a recipe anyone could copy. They recall the history of flying: for centuries, people strapped on feathered wings, copying birds, and jumped off cliffs—only to fail, because they misunderstood what really enables flight. Not until researchers studied fluid dynamics did predictable, controlled flight become possible.

So, the team switches strategies. They ask, 'What is actually causing, or preventing, success in our own context?' They look for not just what their market 'looks like' but what forces operate—customer readiness, competition intensity, cost barriers, and more. As they test actions, they're careful to search for anomalies—times results differ from the expected. Each time they revise, they come closer to building a theory that applies specifically to their situation. They learn the hard way that what matters is not the chosen tool, but whether it's fit for their unique environment.

This insight is grounded in the scientific method and contingency theory: lasting success comes from matching solutions to the right categories of circumstances, not from mindlessly copying attributes or techniques. The best leaders don't just list what worked for someone else—they ask “when and why did it work, and will those factors exist here?”

To truly break free from the futility of copying others, start by studying your unique business environment—what’s happening in your market, your organization, and your customer base right now. Before rolling out a new initiative, stop and clarify your mental model: why do you believe this action will work here? Identify what makes your own company’s situation different from the ones that inspired you, and challenge assumptions. Launch a small test or pilot, closely track the results, and pay extra attention to anything unexpected or out of line with your predictions. With every round of real-world feedback, don't just follow the script—adapt it, refine your approach, and build your own custom playbook for success.