He’s been called the “Steve Jobs of home appliances.” And just like Jobs, James Dyson was rejected at every turn. A bagless vacuum cleaner? “Completely ridiculous,” thought the established manufacturers. But Dyson wasn’t discouraged—and he proved them wrong. What entrepreneurs can learn from this about innovation.
The Dyson vacuum cleaner
When young inventor James Dyson bought a new vacuum cleaner, he quickly grew frustrated with its performance. He noticed that the bag kept clogging, causing a significant loss of suction. Intrigued by the problem, he began thinking about how to improve the design. But rather than simply creating a better version of existing vacuum cleaners, he came up with something entirely different: a way to vacuum dust without using a bag at all.
At the time, vacuum cleaner manufacturers dismissed the idea as completely ridiculous, and understandably so, since they made a fortune selling replacement vacuum bags. “People don’t want to see the dust”, they argued. Dyson couldn’t convince any company to take on his design, but he refused to give up. Instead, he decided to manufacture and market the vacuum cleaner himself. It was far from easy, but he eventually succeeded. Today, Dyson vacuum cleaners hold nearly 20% of the market share.
Thinking beyond the obvious
The Dyson vacuum cleaner is just one example of how success can come from doing the exact opposite of what is expected. If you look around, you will find countless products and services that were born from this kind of unconventional thinking. Apple replaced physical buttons with a touchscreen on the iPhone. IKEA lets customers assemble their own furniture. Joe Rogan found massive success with unedited, three-hour podcasts. And Crocs became a global hit, despite (or perhaps because of) their unconventional appearance.
Seeing the world from such a radically different perspective requires what you might call perspective agility. It’s the mindset that recognises your own viewpoint is just one among many, and that clinging too tightly to it can lead to tunnel vision or blind spots. Perspective agility means actively challenging yourself to step into someone else’s shoes and genuinely try to understand their ideas and experiences, even when they differ sharply from your own.
Allodoxaphobia
But this isn’t an easy skill to develop. Philosopher Lammert Kamphuis, who coined the term perspective agility, explains: “Scientists have recently discovered that when we hear or read something that confirms our own beliefs, our brain releases a surge of dopamine. In other words, we actually feel physically better when someone says something we agree with.”
This is part of the reason why social media is so addictive. The content we see tends to align with our existing views, which gives us a pleasant, rewarding feeling. The longer we engage with it, the more the algorithm takes note, and it feeds us more of the same. Over time, we become increasingly closed off to opposing viewpoints, and we stop training ourselves to listen to different voices. In extreme cases, this can even lead to allodoxaphobia: an intense fear of people who hold different opinions.
Contrary thinking
That’s a problem, especially in the workplace, where collaboration is essential. The best ideas and solutions often come from moments of friction and opposing viewpoints. When you bring together diverse perspectives, you are more likely to see the issue from all angles and find a smarter, more effective way forward. Your original idea might be good, but someone else’s could be even better.
So the next time you come up with a brilliant idea and someone counters with something radically different, try responding in a counterintuitive way. Do not reject it, but listen carefully, because that unexpected perspective might just lead to the breakthrough you have been chasing all along.
This article was originally published in Dutch on MT/Sprout, the most popular business and management platform in the Netherlands.
MT/Sprout
March 1, 2025
don’t miss out!
get my columns straight into your mailbox: