A guide and example of applying First Principle Thinking to find innovative solutions to challenging problems — Have you ever been taught how to think? How to solve a problem systematically? It wasn’t part of my school curriculum. Why do some people seem to “get it” faster? Why do some come up with more innovative solutions than other equally smart people? …

Most people don’t choose a life. A life has been allocated to them. — Having too many options sucks. It’s called the Paradox of Choice. It’s why Marc Zuckerberg always wears the same shirt. One decision less. Less cognitive load. Energy saved. And that’s just a shirt. What about life? Who knows exactly what they want in life and goes for it relentlessly? …

4 graphics to compare 3 different approaches to happiness for beginners — How can I be happy? Most people don’t say it. But one way or another we all wonder about it. Just ask somebody why they’re doing something. Ask why 5 times and you’ll see. We all search for fulfillment. But it can’t work. It’s like filling a leaky bucket. With…

A practical guide to planning and conducting analyses for a market expansion strategy — Let’s analyze ABC. What does that mean in business? How do you know what to analyze? What does a good analysis look like? And what is the outcome? For example: How do you know whether or not to expand into a different market or channel? Large consulting companies have a…

Not knowing these is a good recipe for frustration. — Most of you do at least 1 thing well when solving problems. Maybe you’re good at understanding the problem Likely, you have concrete goals and plans Or, you consider the whole system That’s good. But it may not be enough. That’s why the problems either come back or pop up…

A practical collection of must-know business frameworks used by large consulting firms with examples — What do you do when confronted with a problem you can’t decompose? When the question is so broad, you can’t think of a logical breakdown? For example, they ask you to solve the following question: How successful will the online coaching business “CoachHub” be in the future? So what to…

A walkthrough of an entire design-thinking process with practical takeaways — If you can’t state the problem your chances of resolving it are next to zero. But what to do when you can’t define the problem? When the situation is so complex you can’t point the finger to what matters? That’s where design thinking comes into play. Design thinking is a…

Ensure you don’t get lost when answering big questions — People don’t take enough time to assess and disaggregate the problems they want to solve. In every management meeting, I see people jump to conclusions. Problem → Decision For example, a problem could be that our revenue is declining. The typical management reaction is: We should to A. We have…

The practical guide to answering big questions with a systematic approach made famous by strategy consulting companies — How do you answer tough questions? How do you prepare for big decisions? Luckily, there is a system that fits most situations. I used it as an engineer, entrepreneur, consultant, and coach. It’s an evergreen approach applicable in any field. So what is this mysterious system of problem-solving and decision-making?