im-inversion-method-how-to-fail

name	im - Inversion Method (How to Fail)
description	Charlie Munger's inversion technique. Finding ways to fail, then avoiding them, makes success more likely.
output	{"format":"prose"}

Inversion Method (How to Fail)

Overview

Charlie Munger's favorite technique: "Invert, always invert." It's often easier to identify failure modes than success factors. Finding ways to fail → Avoiding them → More likely to succeed.

Also known as: "Kill the company" exercise, Pre-mortem, Via negativa

Goal

Find how to succeed by first asking "How would I guarantee failure?" Then do the opposite. Inversion often reveals non-obvious insights.

Depth Scaling

Default: 2x. Parse depth from $ARGUMENTS if specified (e.g., "/im 4x [input]").

Depth	Min Failure Scenarios	Min Inversion Layers	Min Mitigation Plans	Min Stress Tests
1x	3	1	1	1
2x	5	2	2	2
4x	8	3	3	3
8x	12	4	5	5
16x	18	5	8	7

These are floors. Go deeper where insight is dense. Compress where it's not.

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Steps

Step 1: State the Goal

Clearly state what you're trying to achieve. Be specific about what success looks like.

Output: Goal statement

Step 2: Invert the Goal

Ask: "How would I GUARANTEE failure?" Not "might fail" but "definitely fail."

Reframe: "If I wanted to [opposite of goal], what would I do?"

Output: Inverted goal

Step 3: Brainstorm Failure Modes

List all the ways to guarantee failure. Be thorough and honest. Include:

• Obvious failures
• Subtle failures
• Failures of omission (not doing things)
• Failures of commission (doing wrong things)
• Psychological failures (mindset, motivation)
• Environmental failures (wrong context, timing)

Output: Exhaustive failure list

Step 4: Invert Each Failure Mode

For each failure mode, state its opposite. This becomes a success factor.

Output: Success factors

Step 5: Prioritize Success Factors

Not all success factors are equal. Prioritize by:

• Impact (how much does this matter?)
• Controllability (can I actually do this?)
• Likelihood (how likely is the failure mode?)

Output: Prioritized success factors

Step 6: Create Action Plan

Convert success factors to specific actions. Include both:

• Things TO DO
• Things to AVOID

Output: Action plan

When to Use

• Planning a project/venture
• Evaluating a strategy
• Improving a process
• Personal goals
• When "how to succeed" is unclear

Verification

• Goal was clearly stated
• Failure modes are genuine (would actually cause failure)
• Inversions are true opposites
• Actions are specific and actionable
• Both do's and don'ts are included