1: Evolution through Revolution
A quote from Mohandas Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
Innovators have a common story, so common it seems like the hackneyed plot of a formulaic dime-store novel: they begin with an idea nobody else thinks is any good, struggle through strong opposition, find their opportunity, and reap outrageous success.
Consider Google, a university project to build a better search engine. The company has been an unmitigated success, but in its early days nobody thought much of it. Quotes are presented from a number of innovators, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists who cited various reasons that the firm was not expected to prosper, or who thought just months before the IPO that the firm had already peaked.
It's one of many examples of the standard success story, which dates back centuries. And the plot follows not merely businesses, but other fields of endeavor, particularly those that are competitive and collaborative.
These successes do not come from following the well-beaten path, or doing the same thing as everyone else in a more efficient or clever manner. Success can be won that way as well, but ironically it is those who follow "tried and true" methodologies that struggle for years or decades with little success - and it is the bold thinkers who embrace new ideas that more often rise rapidly and make their competitors obsolete.
Breakthrough success follows a basic pattern: the field of competitors all fall into a pattern, a routine that has been successful, and attempt to somehow exceed one another by doing the very same things. Then, someone does something different, breaking from standard practices, and emerges.
The author calls such individuals "out-thinkers" because they do not outperform others at the same practices, but think of something the others don't.
And usually, they are ridiculed for doing something abnormal, under the assumption that they ought to be doing what everyone else is doing. By the time their competitors realize that what they are doing is not merely bizarre but superior, they have already pulled far ahead.
Outthinkers at War
Business often looks to the military for its metaphors and inspiration, as the battlefield is an ancient and dramatic form of competition, and one in which innovators often succeed by tactics that are so unorthodox as to seem insane.
He mentions Scipio Africanus, who defeated Hannibal by avoiding his armies and instead destroying cities and supply lines.
He mentions the Mongols' invasion of Europe - their tactics included eschewing an infantry, riding circles around a foe rather than confronting them head-to-head, using bows from horseback. All of this was contrary to the tried-and-true methods of European warfare.
Outthinkers in Sports
A few examples are given from the world of athletics.
The first is the shopworn example of Dick Fosbury, the first Olympic athlete who jumped backward over the bar in the high-jump competition, setting a world record.
The second example is Notre Dame's football team, which used the technique of passing the ball down-field (a forward pass) and won a sound victory over a team that was regarded as superior.
In both of these examples, success was secured by doing something radically different than competitors, which had not been seen before. And moreover, the techniques they pioneered have become the new standards - the backward-facing high jump and the forward pass in football are now things that everyone does.
The Lesson for Outthinkers in Business
The military and sports examples above, as well as many success stories in the field of business, follow a very predictable plot:
- All competitors accept a limited number of tactics and attempt to perfect their performance
- Someone attempts to do things differently and finds a new tactic
- The new tactic proves superior to the old
- The competition struggles to catch up
The author suggests there are four points to a strategy to out-think your competition:
- Recognize that practices have become standardized
- Find an option that others ignore
- Determine whether that option is superior
- Slow your competitors' ability to copy your innovation
(EN: This seems a bit proactive, and I'm very suspicious of the "I meant to do that" perspective many innovators take when their discovery is often accidental, or because there was some constraint that prevented them following convention. I do expect proactive innovation is possible, and may be done in some instances, but am wary of the fact the author pointedly ignores this.)
Conclusion
The conclusion restates a few points of the chapter, but adds to it a bit of encouragement and an interesting metaphor:
Working harder or faster under the existing paradigm can be successful, but it requires a lot of effort to achieve marginal improvements. You must seek ways to out-think your competitors rather than merely working harder.
Mere optimization "is like rowing more forcefully while your [competitor] has put up a sail."
And following in that metaphor, the imitators will continue rowing and will improve their speed, but the innovators will sail past them effortlessly.
So in this book, the author will encourage readers to "put down your oar and put up a sail."