Can inversion thinking reduce the amount of costly mistakes in your business? Find out in this quick training!

wooden model of person thinking with increasingly larger bubbles going away from them

What Is Inversion Thinking?

Charlie Munger’s inversion thinking concept is a mental model that involves flipping the perspective of a problem, challenge, or decision-making process. Instead of focusing on what you need to do to achieve an outcome, this technique requires you to consider what you should avoid doing to prevent the undesired outcome. In other words, you start with the end goal in mind and work backward to identify the obstacles that may hinder your progress.

wooden blocks with text "problem, problem, solution, problem, problem"

How Do I Use Inversion Thinking?

This approach is particularly useful in situations where the desired outcome is unclear or the problem is complex. By looking at the problem from a different angle, you can gain a fresh perspective and identify more effective solutions. Inversion thinking can also help you identify potential risks and pitfalls that you may have otherwise overlooked.

person with hands in head

Avoiding Mistakes

Charlie Munger is well-known for his use of inversion thinking in his investment philosophy and decision-making process. He believes that by avoiding mistakes, you can achieve better results than by trying to find the right answer. This approach is reflected in his famous quote, “All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.”

graph showing decreasing mistakes over time

Implementation

Overall, inversion thinking is a powerful tool for improving your decision-making process and problem-solving skills. It can help you approach challenges with a more strategic and creative mindset, and ultimately achieve better results.

Grow Your Leadership

Bradley has many resources to grow your leadership in the area of vision and priorities.  Check out a few of them:

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Every business owner is looking for that next best hire. Whether it’s sales, ops, accounting, marketing, or anything else, Bradley is sharing tools to identify A-Players. Keep Reading…

Desire won’t get you to your goal, but design will. Learn how to leverage both of them in this quick training, Desire vs. Design: Keep reading…

it's time to solve the rainmaker's dilemma

It’s difficult to get to your destination if you aren’t sure where you currently are!  After all, the path from Minnesota to Canada is very different than the path from Mexico to Canada.  If you aren’t certain where you’re at today in business, you need to take the Rainmaker to Architect assessment.  It will gauge your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and in your business.  Then, you’ll get detailed, specific suggestions for improvement.  Take the assessment here.