Think Backwards to Move Forward

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's legendary partner, credits much of his success to a simple mental model: inversion. Instead of asking "how do I succeed?" he asks "how would I guarantee failure?" and then avoids those things systematically.

Munger borrowed the idea from mathematician Carl Jacobi: "Invert, always invert." Want a great relationship? Ask what would destroy one. Want a productive team? Ask what would make one dysfunctional. Then systematically prevent those things.