ZERO BASED THINKING
In the jungle of business, many of us are like the monkeys in the Philippines, trapped in the illusion of the known, clinging to the coconut of immediate profit without realizing that we are trapped. This trap represents our limitations, our deep-rooted beliefs about what business should be: seeking quick profits, competing on price, and losing sight of true value.
Why do we find it difficult to let go of the coconut? Because we have convinced ourselves that this is the only way, we fear the unknown and underestimate our ability to adapt. The security given from our hand full of food has become a prison, limiting our vision and creativity.
But what is Zero Based Thinking? It is the master key that frees us from the trap. It urges us to forget everything we think we know and challenges us to start over. It is looking at the world without the limitations imposed by the past. When we apply this thinking to the business world, we realize that our strategies, business models and ways of measuring success are based on past choices, not what is optimal nowadays.
That is why by analyzing the coconut trap we can understand what are the main barriers that do not allow us to go from the limited world of the coconut towards Zero Base Thinking:
Fear of Change: We are afraid to abandon the familiar, the proven and then venture into the unknown.
Business Inertia: Companies stick with what they have done for years, even if it is no longer effective. Do you remember the Concorde fallacy?
Rigid Structures: Hierarchies and old systems that are imposed by the power of those who are most afraid of change that do not allow the necessary flexibility to adopt new ideas to promote innovation and disruption.
Monkey hunting is popular and effective, but why does the businessman allow himself to be hunted? Imagine an entrepreneur as the monkey, with his hand caught in the coconut of the traditional approach. The food inside represents the short-term benefits. But, by adopting Zero-Based Thinking, the entrepreneur realizes that he can let go and explore. By freeing himself from fear and absurd self-comfort, he discovers a world of unlimited opportunities and possibilities.
Just as the monkey must overcome his instinct and let go of the food inside the coconut to be free, entrepreneurs must overcome the false sense of comfort and their fear of change and adopt an open mindset to free themselves from those self-imposed limitations.
How to avoid the monkey trap? True business freedom lies in the ability to let go of the “safe food” of the past and embrace Zero-Based Thinking: the path to innovation, adaptability, long-term success and, in short, achieving true customer satisfaction through a more efficient supply chain and making customers its main spokespersons and, therefore, achieving a faster path towards sustainability.
And this is what we do through our main tool: the Integration Coefficient IC. Please Contact Us to know more.
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