Usually, the lens of The Other Way Round is applied as follows:
1. Invert the action used to solve the problem
a. i.e. Instead of cooling an object, heat it
2. Make movable parts (or the external environment) fixed and fixed parts moveable
a. i.e. A moving sidewalk with standing people
3. Turn the object or process upside down
a. i.e. Turn an assembly upside down to insert fasteners
Basically, The Other Way Round suggests that you should do the opposite of what you’ve been doing or invert the action.
There are many examples of this principle. If you lived in a community inundated with fast-food restaurants, a smart business plan might be to open up a “slow-food” restaurant to differentiate yourself from the competition. Do the opposite of what everyone else is doing and you’ll stand out from the crowd.
You could also benchmark yourself against the worst, rather than the best in your field. Compare your business to the worst company in the industry and discover all the ways not to do things so that you don’t do them. Again, do the opposite.
If you commute to work, see if you can’t work from home. Tired of cleaning the artwork indentations on a wood chopping board? Why not just flip the board over? The opposite surface is smooth and easy to clean.
Isn’t this easy? Of course, The Other Way Round can also be applied to very complex issues.
Searching for the Needle
Kary Mullis, a student of Wizard Academy, won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). PCR is a cornerstone of biochemistry and molecular biology because the technology allows for the amplification of DNA sequences. A great deal of Kary’s work revolves around the principle of doing things “The Other Way Round.”
While everyone else in the world was trying to find the figurative needle in the haystack and chemically find and hold DNA, Kary decided to let the DNA replicate itself instead. Rather than looking for the needle in the haystack, Kary let the needle reproduce itself billions and billions of times so that the DNA was easier to find and capture.
By doing things The Other Way Round, Dr. Mullis received the highest honors in his field.
In fact, Dr. Mullis is currently doing research on how to counter bio-terrorist attacks by using the same principle – the Other Way Round. I can’t tell you any more than that right now or I would have to kill you, or the government would kill me.
All I can say is that Roy and I are certain he will win another Nobel Prize for his work.
What can you do with your business, product, or service by doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing?
