Real-life resilience - Avis

Everyone loves an underdog. And that’s what Avis counted on back in the 60s.

When they were a clear second place in the car rental business, they made the bold choice to lean into it. Not just as a slogan, but as an ethos that helped them show up, again and again, even when it was clear that they were not winning.

In 1962, the car rental game was ruled by Hertz. Avis was a clear and distant second with a smaller fleet and less recognition. Not exactly the kind of market position that screams confidence.

But instead of posturing, instead of faking it, they did something radical. They told the truth. In fact, they shouted the truth.

Their now-legendary campaign owned the underdog status with a simple, disarming line: "We’re number two. We try harder."

It was a brilliant move of vulnerability that became a company virtue. “We try harder” shaped the culture within Avis and acted a call to arms, impacting employee behaviour, customer service standards, and internal operations. The folks at Avis lived that mantra.

That campaign also hit a positive nerve with customers, reaped plenty of attention and, most importantly for Avis, it made money. For the first time in over a decade, Avis became profitable! Why did it work? It’s because they tapped into something deeper: the human need to want to root for the underdog. But not just that, they knew that customers want effort and heart. They want us to know that they give a damn.

Yes, the campaign was unique and successful, but I see it as more than a moment of business excellence. I see it as a wonderful example of resilience in action - our ability to be so self-aware of who we are that we choose to lean into both our strengths and our weaknesses. We face shortcomings front on and trust that we can make them work for us. Because sometimes it’s the things that are our greatest weakness that become the way we win.

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” - Marcus Aurelius.

Mirroring on the brain

It’s natural to be drawn to underdogs. What happens is that our brains light up with empathy, surprise, and hope whenever we see a team, business, or a person fight back against the odds. It actually activates our mirror neuron system, helping us feel their effort as our own, which creates a deep emotional resonance.

And, perhaps most significantly, watching an underdog rise up triggers hope in the prefrontal cortex, which can be powerful for us to envision our own future breakthroughs. They inspire us to a point where we think “if they can do it, perhaps we can too.”

So, by leaning into what makes us unique and perhaps a bit vulnerable, we allow ourselves a moment to blast forward in unconventional ways.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if more businesses (and business leaders!) operated like this? Perhaps letting go of the ego that can be so debilitating, letting go of the bravado, and instead focusing on identifying what makes them who they are?

I see this play out in some organizations. Leaders resist owning the truth, and the whole team wastes SO MUCH ENERGY navigating egos and chaos instead of finding a productive way forward. The real power move is turning the truth into traction.

There’s a magnetic force to people who own where they stand and bet on effort. Avis didn’t try to be Hertz. They tried to beat them by being more of themselves.

The way forward

“I’m not the strongest, but I care more than anyone.”
“I’m not a household name, but I deliver results.”
“I’m still learning, and that makes me enjoy the effort I put in.”

All of these are powerful reframes that still demonstrate that we are making a difference. Because, at many points in our lives, we are all going to find ourselves in the number two spot, or lower. Maybe our business is still growing. Maybe we're struggling to get to that number one sales spot.

When we think of a way forward, we can fake it, or we can frame it.

Faking shows up with inflated claims, a constant need to prove, and no real transformation. Framing looks like acknowledgement of where we’re at, an understanding of what we’re doing, and a reason why we’d bet on ourselves.

To frame it well, here are a few tools.

1. "Own the truth" audit. Start by asking ourselves a few hard questions: Where are we not number one? What are we pretending is fine, but secretly avoiding? And what effort are we making that no one sees, but still matters? This is our honest self-awareness starter kit. It’s clarity about where we stand and that awareness helps us get focused on what matters.

2. Frame it with a reframe. Every so-called weakness is just waiting to be reframed into a strength. If we don’t have a big list of clients, maybe that means we give personal attention to every client. If we’re still early in the game, it might allow us to experiment faster than anyone else. We stop hiding and start leading with what’s real.

3. Embrace the suck. Avis didn’t just say it and it magically happened. They still needed to grind hard to impact customer perception. If we want something, then we must also do the work. Make hustle visible by proving the value we add, the clarity in our promises, and the personal touches we bring. Let’s choose three ways to signal that effort this week and make them count. That visibility builds trust.

4. Our version of "We try harder". Craft a simple sentence that acknowledges what we’re not, while doubling down on what we are. Think: “I’m not famous, but I make people feel seen.” Or, “I’m not perfect, but I never ghost a client.” This becomes our mantra, or anchor and a powerful hook. What is a truth we can own that would also be something we want others to say about us?

Resilience is leaning into the whole truth, even if it feels a little ugly or stresses us out. We’re not perfect, but dammit we are resilient! The giants can flex, but we’re not here for status. We’re here to be the best version of ourselves.

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carré @ Resilient Minds

PS - have you measured your resilience lately? Try this 3-min quick assessment for a look at your strengths and opportunities.