No-loss thinking

Success in business is not defined by risk taking. One off luck is not success, and nothing but one off is achievable by holding more risk than others. What looks like risk taking to outsiders is in fact calculated betting, on average no more risky, and often less risky, than "common sense".

I believe that unorthodox decisions by great leaders are often "no loss" decisions. Why not do something when there’s nothing to lose? The hardest part is to see that there’s nothing to lose by doing it.

Magnitude of greatness in business is defined by this ability to see such "no loss" courses of action. I suspect that the reason why this ability is so rare is because it is deeply uncomfortable to most people to even think in such terms. Our brain is hardwired for sequential thinking. It requires certainty on each step in order to proceed to the next one; that’s how we plan.

No-loss thinking is fundamentally different. Actions that follow don’t create certainty, they create exposure to opportunity, inherently uncertain. A plan comprised of such steps feels highly risky, because certainty is nowhere to be found. It is very uncomfortable to choose uncertain over certain, and thus most people choose to forego the opportunity.