Avoid Stupidity

Avoid Stupidity is the principle that avoiding stupidity is easier than trying to be brilliant.

Core Approach

Instead of asking “How can I help my company?”, you should ask “What’s hurting my company the most and how can I avoid it?”

Method

• Identify obvious failure points
• Steer clear of them
• Focus on eliminating mistakes rather than optimizing for brilliance

Mental Model

This approach uses the mental model of [[Inversion]] — looking at problems from the opposite perspective.

Related Concepts

• [[Inversion]] — thinking from the opposite perspective
• [[Pre-Mortem Analysis]] — identifying what could go wrong
• [[Theory of Constraints]] — focusing on bottlenecks and weaknesses

Definition based on decision-making and strategy frameworks.