“Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite” by Paul Arden
Book Review by Andy Pan
Date of Review: 7th June 2007

The year is 1968. The place: Mexico. The 19th Olympic Games have just started and the crowd holds its breath as a little-known American high-jumper, Dick Fosbury, attempts his first jump. To the crowd’s amazement, as he approaches the high-jump bar, Fosbury turns his back towards the bar, instead of the customary way of turning one’s body towards it. He flips over the bar backwards, brings his legs up and sets a new world record of 7 ft. 4 inches. For decades, no high-jumper thought this radical jumping method was possible or could even be successful but guess what? Dick Fosbury thought the opposite and the Fosbury Flop has since become the “conventional” technique for high-jumping. Literally speaking, Fosbury has turned a flop into a success.

“Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite” is a concise collection of quotes and anecdotes that illustrate the benefits of simply thinking the opposite, and not thinking what others think is safe and conventional. For example, there is another story of a certain Oxford University professor who was bathing naked by a river near the school. As he was getting out of the water, a group of students appeared, gliding by on a raft. Promptly, the professor grabbed his towel and………………tied it round his head! This quick-thinking professor simply thought the opposite, while the majority of us would just had covered our private areas in a moment of panic. Short and snappy stories like this serves only to remind us that the greatest and most successful companies or people, are those who did not think what conventional wisdom has “taught” them. The road less traveled must be cleared and made into a highway by us, so that we can occupy this road and leave our competitors in the dust.

In these modern days, trudging through the beaten path can only get us so far. In order for the company to be a powerhouse in adventure learning, we need to be radical in whatever we do because sometimes, making the safest decisions can be the most dangerous. If possible, let us all strengthen our unique selling propositions and make breakthroughs in all areas, in areas of business expansion or even in facilitation. We must not be constantly kept in a rigid mental mould which would only ensure that we are and will be just another teambuilding company. The future, it seems, looks bright for all of us. Our headcount is increasing; a young team of facilitators and project managers are emerging and Asia is ripe for the picking. The best future belongs only to the brave. We will be the next Dick Fosbury.

“Whatever that can be invented, has been invented.”
Charles H. Duell, U.S. Commissioner of the Office of Patents (1899)

P.S. What a bold statement indeed. It is like saying, “There are no more mobile adventure activities left to create.” If we think like him continually, we would be seriously “screwed”.