{"id":20868,"date":"2020-09-08T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T08:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/?p=20868"},"modified":"2020-09-28T16:44:12","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T14:44:12","slug":"problem-to-opportunity-go-along-with-your-adversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/en\/problem-to-opportunity-go-along-with-your-adversary\/","title":{"rendered":"From problem to opportunity \u2013 Part 3: go along with your adversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some annoying situations are inescapable. When you can’t change it, it\u2019s best to accept a difficult situation. However, this is not the same as giving up! Often, a problematic situation brings unexpected opportunities. The trick is to recognise and utilise these opportunities. In my last article, I wrote how sometimes you can use a problem to your advantage. In this article, I\u2019ll share two different ways to deal with tough problems; go along with your adversary or focus on ‘why’ instead of ‘how’.<\/em><\/p>\n

Approach 1. Go along with your adversary<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many problems have to do with human behaviour. People act in a way that goes against your interests. In many cases, you can change their behaviour by nudging<\/a><\/span> them in the right direction, by using game elements<\/a><\/span> or by using Tiny Habits<\/a><\/span> to make the behaviour you prefer as easy as possible. Sometimes, however, it is more effective to go along with your adversary. Be like a martial arts teacher and use your opponent’s force to get where you want to go. Utilise the movement that has also been started to your advantage. Sometimes it’s easier to direct a moving object towards your goal than to stop the movement altogether.<\/p>\n

Step 1. Investigate what the other party wants<\/strong>
\nWhat is the other party doing? Why is your opponent doing this? What does the other party need?<\/p>\n

Step 2. Utilise the behaviour and use the needs of your opponent to your advantage
\n<\/strong>How could you use the other party’s behaviour to reach your own goal? Can you use your opponent’s needs to move towards your own desired outcome?<\/p>\n

Below are some inspiring examples of embracing your opponent’s desires to reach a different goal<\/em><\/p>\n

Harry Potter’s bookstore<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Lello bookstore<\/a><\/span> is a gorgeous bookstore in Porto, Portugal. A testament to its impressive interior is the fact that the bookstore supposedly inspired J.K. Rowling to write the Harry Potter series. When Harry Potter fans found out about this, Porto became their Mecca. Thousands of Harry Potter fans flocked to the small bookstore from all over the world. At the peak of this madness, around 5,000 fans visited the store daily! The owner of the store was not amused. Groups of Potter fans entered the bookstore and browsed through the books, but they hardly ever bought anything. The owner of the bookstore wanted to rid his store of this nuisance. Until he realised that this new type of visitor could be an unprecedented opportunity…<\/p>\n

The store owner chanced his door policy. To enter the store, people now had to pay a \u20ac5 entrance fee. However, if a visitor would actually buy a book the \u20ac5 would be deducted. What happened? The Potter fans were not deterred. The entrance fee hardly brought down the number of fans entering the store. What did<\/em> change (apart from a huge new stream of entrance revenue) was how many books they bought. As they already paid 5 euro’s upfront, many visitors figured they might as well buy a book while they were at it. The bookstore now sells about 285.000 books a year.<\/p>\n

Running to class<\/strong><\/h4>\n

At most schools running in the hallways is forbidden. At the Tovsh\u00f8jskolen in Denmark however, the leadership figured that trying to keep children from running goes against their natural behaviour. They solved the challenge in a different way. The school divided the hallway into two lanes; one walking lane and one running track. The result: teachers carelessly stroll to their classes, while children race the corridors and are more energised than ever.<\/p>\n

Nazis against Nazis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Wunsiedel is a beautiful little town… but also a pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. Residents were not happy with their yearly visitors and came up with a plan… (see the video below)<\/p>\n