No matter if you are a company or NGO, the start of a new year is often related to new objectives and strategies to do better than the year before. So, today, I wanted to talk about a powerful method that can help you take your Nature venture to the next level. It’s called inversion thinking.
2023 came to an end, which gave us time to reflect on the year that just passed. I don’t know about you, but for me, that was a tricky time mentally because I didn’t manage to deliver the biodiversity impact I initially wanted.
But just beating myself up doesn’t help. So, I looked for solutions on how I can be even more focused and sharp this year. One week ago, I heard about Charlie Munger and its vision of the power of inversion in business. Thinking about the potential failures, threats, and risks I could face helped me massively to see what I could improve in 2024.
I didn’t want to sit alone on this hack, so here it goes.
The inversion thinking method: what is it, and how does it work?
Inversion, initially rooted in mathematics and later adopted in strategic thinking, involves approaching problems backward.
Charlie Munger, the renowned investor and vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, popularized the inversion thinking method in business decision-making.
He and his company are part of the reason why biodiversity is in such a crisis. But currently, they are winning. Therefore, analyzing what best practices we can learn from them is crucial.
The essence of inversion is to look at what you want to avoid and then work backward to prevent those outcomes.
This approach aligns with our evolutionary instincts. Historically, humans have been wired to prioritize survival, which often meant identifying and steering clear of threats.
We tend to forget, but we were not always the hunter.
In the biodiversity business and NGO context, this translates to identifying potential failures and navigating away from them.
Because finding 30 things that can prevent us from growing and thriving is easier to find than the 1 thing that can lead us to success.
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Inversion thinking for Nature ventures: why it is so useful and effective?
Using the inversion thinking method provides you with a powerful alarm system
Inversion helps us to pinpoint potential pitfalls before they occur. For a biodiversity venture, this could mean foreseeing environmental or community engagement challenges and creating strategies to address these issues proactively.
Thinking the other way around facilitates decision-making
This approach forces us to think through the full spectrum of outcomes of our decisions, leading to more comprehensive and robust planning. In our context, it can help assess the environmental impact of various projects and ensure the best choices are made.
Analyzing potential pitfalls gives you strategic clarity and focus
By understanding what could derail your venture, you can better define your path to success and where to focus your efforts the most. This clarity is crucial in biodiversity initiatives because the stakes are high, resources are limited, and the ways to boost biodiversity are endless.
Challenging your ideas promotes innovation and creative solutions
Looking at problems from an inverse perspective can lead to innovative solutions you might not have thought of otherwise. For example, this might mean finding unique ways to engage communities or tackle conservation challenges in nature companies and NGOs.
Focusing on what could go wrong makes you build a resilient Nature venture
Preparing for worst-case scenarios inherently strengthens your Nature venture’s ability to adapt and persevere through challenges. This resilience is key for biodiversity businesses because tackling this crisis is not a sprint but a marathon.
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Inversion thinking example: how did I use this technique for my own Nature venture?
All this is easier said than done, isn’t it? For this reason, I want to share with you transparently my business diary. Here is the reflection that I made for Wildya. I hope this will help you avoid my mistakes.
So, what do I have to do to ensure that Wildya fails next year?
Here are 23 aspects I analyzed, sorted by the most damaging at the top:
❌ – if I am currently doing exactly that
✅ – if so far, I am doing a good job on it
1. ❌ Only talk about Wildya, but don’t build the product.
2. ✅ Stop looking for a tech co-founder.
3. ✅ Not pushing away Winny, my co-founder.
4. ❌ Only offer free products, but never something people or companies can buy.
5. ✅ Don’t ask users for feedback & don’t use the feedback to improve the product.
6. ❌ Just read about potential solutions rather than implementing them.
7. ❌ Spend more money than what we make.
8. ❌ Keep on working, even though I can’t anymore.
9. ❌ Fill the entire calendar with operational work so as not to have time to reflect on whether we are going in the right direction or not.
10. ✅ Keep all communication with people generic & unpersonal.
11. ✅ Have no plan for what we want to achieve next year & every month.
12. ✅ Have no connection to our community.
13. ✅ Never talk about Wildya, so people don’t know it exists.
14. ❌ Don’t look for external funding for survival.
15. ❌ Don’t apply for grants, competitions, etc.
16. ✅ Be arrogant & think I know it all.
17. ❌ Do everything yourself.
18. ❌ Don’t answer to mails.
19. ❌ Spend more time on Linkedin.
20. ❌ Do more calls with other biodiversity builders.
21. ❌ Do all sorts of side projects.
22. ❌ Don’t update the website.
23. ✅ Invest more time into Wild Business Mates.
As you can see, I need to tackle plenty of challenges next year.
I might still not succeed, but like this, at least I can eliminate all the things that reduce the chance of succeeding.
Your turn: how can you use inversion thinking for your Nature venture?
Include the following 5 steps to test inversion in your nature business & NGO
1. Brainstorm the potential pitfalls for your Nature venture
Like me above, dedicate time to brainstorming what could lead to your venture’s failure. Involve diverse team members for a broad perspective.
2. Identify and mitigate the risks
From the session, identify key risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.
3. Analyze your decisions thoroughly
For every major decision, consider the inverse outcome. Ask, “What would ensure this decision fails?” and plan accordingly.
4. Organize an inversion workshop for your business or NGO
Host a workshop where the sole focus is on solving problems through inversion. Encourage unconventional ideas and solutions.
5. Get a Post-it
This is such a simple and powerful way of thinking. But I promise you, you will forget it again. So just write on a Post-it “INVERT” and put it somewhere you can always see it, as a stark reminder.
Use this cheat sheet to dive deeper into the inversion thinking method
- Books: The Decision Book: Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking Mikael Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler.
- Videos: 8 Life-Changing Lessons I Learned from Charlie Munger (the video that exposed me to the concept).
- Tools:
- Miro to brainstorm;
- Notion to keep organized & focused;
- Google Calendar to use the time boxing method;
- Forest to use the Pomodoro time tracking technique.
The inversion thinking method is more than just a thought exercise. It’s a strategic tool that can significantly impact how we approach challenges and opportunities in biodiversity ventures. By using inversion thinking and anticipating what could go wrong, we better prepare our ventures for what can go right. Embrace this counterintuitive approach, and you might find your path to success is clearer than ever.
Have a wild week!
Best,
Oliver
🌿 P.S. Do you know another ecopreneur that this exercise could help? Then, forward this newsletter to them.
🦧 Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways Wild Business Mates can help you grow and double your impact:
- 1-to-1 business consulting. Detailed and personalized consulting to double the impact of your biodiversity organization in the shortest possible time. Book a free intro call.
- Wild Business Mates in Action. Wild Business Mates help you execute in areas you are struggling with. Tech, Marketing, Sales, Communication, etc. We can realize all the steps I mentioned above.”
