Ever notice how the most memorable moments in your life often involve an element of surprise? That unexpected job offer that changed your career trajectory. The random coffee shop encounter that led to a lifelong friendship. The spur-of-the-moment road trip that you still talk about years later.

There’s something magical about surprise; it jolts us out of autopilot and makes us truly present. And here’s the thing: what works in our personal lives works just as well in our professional endeavors, creative pursuits, and pretty much everything else we do.

The Unexpected Advantage

Let’s be real. We live in a world where everyone follows the same playbooks, marketing strategies, career paths, and content formulas. Don’t get me wrong; conventions exist for a reason. They work… until they don’t.

The thing about following the crowd is that you become part of the background noise. Another resume in the stack. Another post in the feed. Another pitch in the inbox.

But what if you zigged when everyone else zagged?

The element of surprise is truly the ultimate equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re up against bigger competitors, more established brands, or people with fancier degrees; when you do something unexpected, you immediately level the playing field.

Making the Common Uncommon

Think about it: we’re surrounded by the ordinary. The predictable. The expected.

• The same email templates
• The same meeting formats
• The same product launches
• The same social media strategies

What if you took these common elements and made them uncommon?

I had a friend who was job hunting in a competitive market. Instead of sending the usual resume and cover letter, he created a custom “day one plan” for each company, outlining what he’d tackle in his first 30 days. Was it more work? Absolutely. But it got him interviews at companies that weren’t even officially hiring.

Another example: A local coffee shop near me struggled to compete with the big chains. Their solution? They started writing tiny, personalized notes on every cup. Not revolutionary, but unexpected enough that people started posting photos online. Their business doubled in three months.

The beauty is that making the common uncommon doesn’t require massive resources or radical reinvention. It’s about thoughtful twists on the familiar.

How to Do the Unexpected (Without Going Overboard)

I’m not suggesting you do something wild just to be different. Strategic surprise is about thoughtful deviation, not random chaos. Here are some ways to incorporate the unexpected into your work and life:

1. Question Default Settings

Ask yourself: “Why do we do things this way?” Sometimes the answer is “because it works best.” But often, it’s “because we’ve always done it this way.” That’s your opportunity.

2. Flip the Format

If everyone in your industry does webinars, maybe you host intimate dinner discussions. If all blog posts in your field are how-to guides, perhaps you share vulnerable case studies of failures and lessons learned.

For example, I’m consulting for a company that helps promote the city of Tijuana. They have an event planned with Deloitte in a few months and want to make it memorable. They asked me for ideas. I gave them ten ideas, categorized as high effort/high impact and low effort/high impact. One of those ideas is to set up a container outside the Deloitte office to simulate a factory operation of some well-known companies that have their operations in Tijuana. What?! Exactly!

They’ve already evaluated the ideas and want to move forward with that one and a few others. My ideas were deliberately focused on flipping the format and challenging conventions.

3. Change One Variable

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes changing just one element creates enough surprise. The same content delivered through an unexpected medium. The same product in an unexpected color. The same service with an unexpected add-on.

4. Lead with Empathy

The most powerful surprises often address unspoken needs. What are people in your world secretly wishing for but not expecting? That’s gold.

The Ripple Effect of Surprise

When you embrace the unexpected, interesting things happen:

• You become more memorable
• You create emotional connections
• You stand out naturally, without trying too hard
• You break through skepticism and indifference
• You create stories worth sharing

I’ve found that the things I’ve done differently, not necessarily better, just differently, are what people remember about me years later.

Your Surprise Strategy

So here’s my challenge to you: In the next week, find one small way to make the common uncommon in your work or life. One small twist on the expected. One tiny surprise.

It doesn’t have to be revolutionary. Maybe it’s sending a voice note instead of a text, restructuring your presentation to start with stories instead of stats, or simply taking a different route home and seeing what you discover.

The element of surprise isn’t just about standing out; it’s about staying curious, avoiding complacency, and constantly evolving. It’s about refusing to accept that there’s only one way to do things. So go ahead, do the unexpected. Make the common uncommon. Embrace surprise as your ultimate equalizer. The world has enough people following the map. Be the one who creates the terrain.

What unexpected thing have you done recently that made a difference? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below!