Isaac Newton exploited his quarantine from the 1665-1666 London plague to work on his magnum opus, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, in which he codified laws of motion. His third law states:
“When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body.”
This law is also true in a general way about human behavior. When you raise your voice or vigorously push an idea, people naturally tend to raise their own voice, push back, raise defensive shields. Returning like for like is rarely a long-term solution, and often escalates tensions. This is why we have ancient wisdom such as the proverb, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
In processes, business models, even government models, if your mindset is “destroy” or “disrupt,” you’ve instantly stimulated an equal and opposite force. People will be motivated to disrupt you back. You will find yourself facing greater complexity than before. You engender bitterness and resentment.
It’s healthier and more productive to adopt the mindset of “transform.” All change is difficult. There will be resistance factors for all changes because the status quo has significant power. Focus your transforming efforts to create value that others recognize – faster, cheaper, simpler, more effective.
(Note: HT to Dan Sullivan and Perry Marshall who have published notes on this concept.)
