Harnessing the Power of Inversion for Biodiversity Ventures

Focus on how to fail, rather than how to succeed

The year is coming to an end, which usually gives us time to reflect on the year that just passed. 

I don't know about you, but for me, that is always a tricky time mentally because I rarely manage to deliver the biodiversity impact I wanted. 

But just beating myself up doesn't help, so I looked for solutions on how I can be even more focused and sharp next year. 

So, one week ago, I heard about the power of inversion, which helped me massively to see what I can improve next year. 

I didn't want to sit alone on this hack, so here it goes. 

The power of inversion: what is it and why does it work?

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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 this method in business decision-making. 

Charlie Munger and his company are part of the reason why Biodiversity is in such a crisis. But currently, they are winning. So, it is important to see what best practices we can learn from them.  

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 keep us from success is easier to find than the 1 thing that can lead us to success.

5 Reasons inversion can empower your biodiversity company

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1. Powerful alarm system:

   Inversion helps us to identify 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.

2. Enhanced 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.

3. Strategic clarity & 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 there are endless ways to boost biodiversity. 

4. Stimulating creative solutions:

   Looking at problems from an inverse perspective can lead to innovative solutions you might not have thought of otherwise. This might mean finding unique ways to engage communities or tackle conservation challenges in nature companies and NGOs.

5. Building a resilient 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.

My inversion reflection on this year

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But that's easier said then done. So today I share with you transparently my diary. Here is my reflection that I made for Wildya. I hope this will help you to avoid my mistakes. 

What do I have to do to ensure that Wildya fails next year? 

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

❌ Only talk about Wildya, but don't build the product 

✅ Stop looking for a tech co-founder 

✅ Push away Winny, my co-founder

❌ Only offer free products, but never something people or companies can buy

✅ Don't ask users for feedback & don't use the feedback to improve the product

❌ Just read about potential solutions rather than implementing them

❌ Spend more money than what we make 

❌ Keep on working, even though I can't anymore

❌ Fill the entire calendar with operational work to not have time to reflect on if we are going in the right direction

✅ Keep all communication with people generic & unpersonal

✅ Have no plan for what we want to achieve next year & every month

✅ Have no connection to our community

✅ Never talk about Wildya, so people don't know it exists

❌ Don't look for external funding for survival

❌ Don't apply for grants, competitions, etc. 

✅ Be arrogant & think I know it all

❌ Do everything yourself

❌ Don't answer to mails

❌ Spend more time on Linkedin

❌ Do more calls with other biodiversity builders

❌ Do all sorts of side projects

❌ Don't update the website

✅ Invest more time into Wild Business Mates

You 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!

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5 Steps to test inversion in your nature business & NGO

1. Brainstorm: Like me above, dedicate time to brainstorm what could lead to your venture's failure. Involve diverse team members for a broad perspective.

2. Risk mitigation: From the session, identify key risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.

3. Decision analysis: For every major decision, consider the inverse outcome. Ask, "What would ensure this decision fails?" and plan accordingly.

4. Inversion workshop: Host a workshop where the sole focus is on solving problems through inversion. Encourage unconventional ideas and solutions.

5. 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. 

Cheat Sheet: Dive Deeper into Inversion Theory

Books: The Decision Book: Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking Mikael Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler

Tools: 

Miro to brainstorm

Notion to keep organized & focused

Google Calendar for time boxing

Forest for pomodoro time tracking

Recap

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The inversion theory 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 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.

With this reflection exercise I leave you before Christmas. Enjoy the time with your loved ones. 

Have a wild Christmas! 

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:

1.1-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. 

2. 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."