Whatever you think, think the opposite

I've been teaching international students for almost two years now and I've struggled in this time to get the students to recognize the opportunity that they've been given to study in New Zealand. Many students are told by their agents that all they'll have to do to succeed is pay the fees, show up to class, and they'll pass. I've been working hard to break this notion among my students. I'm a firm believer that in order for learning to take place our thinking needs to change. We need to see things differently. I've set out not only to teach the learning objectives of my leadership and management courses, but to also to challenge and change the minds of this generation.

Over the last few weeks I've been sharing excerpts of Paul Arden's fascinating book, Whatever you think, think the opposite. This has been part of my ongoing attempts to get my students to think for themselves. Many of them come from countries where rote learning is the norm. The right answer is whatever the teacher says it is. But in my classes, I encourage my students to challenge their notions about how the world works and operates. Paul's little book is filled with great stories and quotes to encourage us to think differently than everyone else.

My students have enjoyed Arden's book. So it was with some excitement that I shared with them today another writer's thoughts about finding success in thinking the opposite. Scott Edinger wrote a post last month for the HBR Blog  pointing out George Costanza's success when he decided to do the opposite of what he normally does. 

Maybe we should all think the opposite for a while. What would happen if today you decided to do the opposite of what you normally do? Are you up for a bit of an experiment? Let me know how you go.