Judo is the art of turning your opponent’s momentum to your favor. When an enemy is hurtling towards you at full speed, Judo says don’t try to stop them. Instead, stick your leg out and their momentum will take care of the rest.
If you’re Carnival Cruise right now, you can try to downplay the risk of pandemic. Alternatively, you can embrace the situation. Cruises have the opportunity to be the only safe form of travel in a world of COVID-19. Test everyone in advance and you’re guaranteed that fellow passengers are healthy.
Recently, I’ve been frustrated by an aspect of my startup’s product experience. Regulatory requirements demand some additional friction that seems superfluous. My first reaction was to downplay it. My cofounder took a different perspective. Why not highlight it? Emphasize the benefits to the user. Discuss the cool technology that makes it possible. That’s Judo.