Leadership and business success
This week, I’m re-sharing one of my favorite mental models of all time / The biggest challenges in the world are now smaller than ever.
- To get unexpected insights, you have to turn your thinking around.
- What are the things that can’t happen?
- Why are they so bad?
- And how would you reach them, if you could?
Spin the negative into the positive. The best way to become successful is by learning to fail.
Some habits of self-defeat are sloth, envy, resentment, self-pity and entitlement.
Avoid these if you want success in life. Tell me when I’m going to die? So I can avoid it.
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger are two of the most grounded, benevolent businessmen in the world.
They are both very good at seeing problems differently to the way us humans see them. One of the reasons for their success is that they have not learned how to effectively solve difficult business problems but, instead have learned how to avoid them before they occur.
Mental models are how our brains process information. We all have our own, but the culture and experiences we encounter lead to a shared mental model that most people are exposed to.
It works by invert the starting point. And it works for any type of goals, even the simplest ones- like figuring out how to get there. If your goal is going to the gym five days a week, don’t just assume you’ll get there! Invert. Consider the obstacles that are stopping you from making it to the gym on a daily basis. You may then stop these obstacles from happening, one after another, in order to avoid them.
So here is a quick tip: come up with the worst-possible scenario for your situation, then try to figure out how you can avoid that.
The best way to achieve your goals is to think about what you want to avoid that will interfere with your success. It is more influential than thinking about what the end goal is. Munger gave an example where he as tasked to predict the weather. His goal was to allow planes to take off.
He was responsible for preventing pilot deaths, which could happen whenever they have low fuel or in icing. So he worked out how to save lives.
What are some ways you rely on the mental model of inversion to achieve your goals?
