Si David, isang shepherd boy na may dalang isang wooden staff and sling, volunteers to fight a seven‐foot giant named Goliath. Si Goliath ay fully armored with a sword in one hand and a spear sa kabilang kamay. Nang makita niyang papalapit sa kanya si David with a wooden staff, he laughs and says, “Am I a dog that you should come to me with sticks?”
Tahimik na naglagay si David ng bato sa kanyang sling and fires it at a tiny opening in Goliath’s helmet. Goliath falls to the ground, stunned. David runs to Goliath, kinuha ang kanyang espada, and cuts his head off.
David is victorious! It’s a miracle! Or is it?
Si David ay maaaring mukhang isang lucky underdog, but nothing could be further from the truth. Tulad ng matutuklasan mo sa aklat ni Gladwell’s and this summary, underdogs like David pull off surprising victories nang higit pa kaysa sa iyong iniisip. Ang susi to pulling off surprising victories against powerful foes is neutralizing your opponent’s advantage, just like David did.
NEUTRALIZE THE GIANT’S ADVANTAGE
Most ritualistic single combat battles were determined by sword‐to‐sword combat. Ngunit walang pakialam si David sa convention.
David was going to fight Goliath from a distance and turn the battle into a contest between Goliath’s spear throwing ability and David’s sling shooting skills. Si David ay nagkataong isang sling master who killed bears and lions that tried to run off with his sheep.
David’s sling may have looked harmless, but historians estimate it could hurl stones with stopping power equivalent to the modern handgun.
By going against conventional wisdom and strategically altering the rules of engagement, David neutralized Goliath’s size, strength, and power, and flipped the competition na pabor sa kanya.
Sa susunod na haharapin mo ang isang powerful opponent, tanungin ang iyong sarili, “How can I fight this battle on my terms and neutralize my opponent’s advantage?“
- Kung nahaharap ka sa isang giant business competitor, isentro ang iyong marketing campaign around character and quality sa halip na sa efficiency and cost. Halimbawa, ang isang maliit na coffee shop could compete against large coffee shop chains tulad ng Starbucks by promoting the fact na gumagamit sila ng coffee beans mula sa isang small family farm sa Benguet and roast their beans on site for maximum freshness (isang bagay na hindi feasible for a massive coffee shop chain like Starbucks).
Fighting a battle on your terms ay nangangailangan ng deep understanding of the rules and a willingness to bend the rules.
- Author and podcaster Tim Ferriss entered a Chinese National Kickboxing Tournament at nanalo ng gold sa pamamagitan ng pag-aaral ng mga rules ng competition. He learned that if he pushed his opponent off the elevated platform three times in a single round, he would automatically win the match. Samakatuwid, Ferriss leveraged his high school wrestling training and made every match a pushing contest instead of a kickboxing contest.
Kapag nag-compete ka unconventionally, you will get criticized and laughed at like David. But as the saying goes, “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.”
DEFEAT THE GIANT BY FEELING LIKE A GIANT
Pagkatapos mong gumawa ng plano para i-neutralize ang iyong opponent’s advantage, kailangan mo pa rin ng tremendous amount of skill and confidence to pull off a victory. Paradoxically, maraming underdogs acquire the necessary skill and confidence to take down giants sa pamamagitan ng paggugol ng most of their time feeling like a giant.
Kung ikaw ay isang promising young economic student, where would you go to graduate school: a great school like Harvard or a merely good school like the University of Toronto?
Kapag ikaw ay good enough na makapasok sa Harvard ngunit pinili mong pumunta sa University of Toronto and graduate in the top 5% of your class, you are twice as likely to get a paper published in a prestigious economic journal than 80% of Harvard graduates.
University of Toronto economists who graduate in the top 5% of their class publish 1.8 papers six years after graduation, whereas Harvard economists who fail to graduate in the top 20% of their class publish just 0.7 papers six years after graduation.
Dapat ikaw ay exceptionally smart and hardworking upang makapasok sa isang PhD program sa Harvard, but you risk feeling average once admitted. Pagkatapos ng isang taon o dalawa sa Harvard, you may realize your peers are better economists than you and your willingness to pursue an audacious goal, like getting your work published in a prestigious journal, wanes.
Sa madaling salita, the more time you feel like a small fish in a big pond, the less likely you are to step up when faced with an enormous obstacle or opportunity.
Anuman ang iyong ginagawa, aim to be a big fish in a small pond. Compete in environments kung saan nakakaramdam ka ng challenge but know you are one of the best. Recent research says the win rate for optimal learning is 85%. Kung makakahanap ng isang environment where you feel like you’re winning 85% of the time, you will steadily develop the skill and confidence to take on giants.
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
‐ George Bernard Shaw
Author: The Pinoy Engineer
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