CULTURE, STRATEGY AND SUSPENSE: HOW I SAVED MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER AT IBERO UNIVERSITY
- Juan Carlos Erdozain Rivera, MBA
- Jan 1
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 1
Success in senior management depends not on accumulating data, but on the ability to "see" what others ignore. Inspired by his experience with "The 13 Questions of the 13th," where knowledge of Pieter Brueghel the Elder allowed him to resolve a critical debt, Juan Carlos Erdozáin proposes an art-based methodology for mastering business and organizational strategies.
Through four masterpieces, it teaches leaders to identify hidden weak signals within operational chaos. The strategy is defined in three steps: observe the big picture, pinpoint critical details, and make decisive decisions. Through hands-on workshops, JCER transforms aesthetic appreciation into a managerial toolbox for simplifying complexity and achieving business profitability.
By: Juan Carlos Erdozáin (JCER BUSINESS WISDOM)
Many people ask me what the relationship is between art history and success in the business world. My answer is always the same: the ability to see what others ignore.
When I won the $313,000 Grand Prize in the "13 Questions of the 13" quiz show in 1979, it wasn't just an exercise in memory. It was an exercise in strategic observation . To master the work of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, one must learn to dissect chaos. In his paintings, as in today's markets, there is an excess of information, but only a few details contain the true meaning.
In terms of strategic thinking, it's about seeing the big picture and paying attention to the small but important details. and draw conclusions to make decisions.
THE ART OF "SEEING" THE BIG PICTURE (ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION)
In the painting The Census at Bethlehem , Brueghel gives us a masterclass in strategy. At first glance, the canvas is a "noise" of villagers, snow, and bureaucracy. Mary and Joseph are there, but they are lost in the overall scene.
This is where the strategic thinker separates from the average observer:
Environmental Scanning
The average observer focuses on the anecdote (the snow, the crowds). The strategist scans the entire picture to understand the system.
Identifying Weak Signals
María and José are "weak signals." They don't shout, they don't have halos of light, but they are the most important asset in the narrative. In business, this is equivalent to detecting that emerging trend or that small operational risk that, if ignored, changes the organization's fate.
The Intelligent Conclusion
Only when you locate the critical detail can you make a decision. If you don't see the holy couple, the painting is just a genre scene; if you do see them, you understand that you are witnessing a change of era.
FROM THE ART GALLERY TO THE BOARD ROOM
Business wisdom does not come from raw data, but from its interpretation.
A good art observer doesn't just look at the painting; they read it . Similarly, a leader with strategic thinking:
He is not distracted by the "brightness" of superficial indicators.
Look for coherence in the big picture.
Generate actionable conclusions based on connecting seemingly unrelated dots.
My fascination with Brueghel stems from that complicity between the artist and the observer. He conceals the truth to reward those who know how to see. At JCER Business Wisdom , we apply that same methodology: we teach leaders to "clean out the useless noise" from their operations to find the critical factors that truly move the needle of success.
FROM THE LOST NEWSPAPER NOTE TO BRUEGHEL'S MASTERY
The weight of a silent debt
In 1978, I was a chemical engineering student at the Universidad Iberoamericana. A chemical engineer's mind is forged in precision and the analysis of complex systems; but that year, the system that collapsed was my personal finances. The Mexican government suddenly withdrew scholarships, and overnight, I found myself with an accumulated debt of 25,000 pesos to the Ibero.
For a 21-year-old, that number was an insurmountable barrier that threatened to derail my career. The overall picture was one of imminent defeat. It was in that abyss that I understood that to move forward, it wasn't enough to simply remember facts; I needed strategic thinking .
What, really, is Strategic Thinking?
In my JCER Business Wisdom consulting sessions, I teach that strategy is not a static plan, but a dynamic mental capacity divided into three steps:
View the Overview
Observe the whole system (the market, the crisis) without being blinded by panic.
Locate the Important Details
Identify that "critical asset" or that "weak signal" that others ignore.
Drawing Conclusions and Making Decisions
Take decisive action on that detail to change the outcome.
The Return of the Television Giant and the $313,000 "Note"
While others lamented, I activated my radar. Flipping through a newspaper—an ocean of irrelevant information—my eyes stopped on a small, stray note in the inside pages. It announced the return of the legendary cultural program "The $64,000 Question" now evolved into a new show: "The 13 Questions of Channel 13." The prize was a figure that took my breath away: $313,000 pesos .
To put the value into perspective: those $313,000 pesos from 1979 are equivalent to just over $4,500,000 pesos in 2025 .
That note was my "salvation," but the money wouldn't come by chance. I applied step three of the strategy: Decision . I challenged myself, called the producers, and proved to them that I was the right strategist to launch the program. In fact, I was the first winner. I paid off my $25,000 debt to Universidad Iberoamericana (about $360,000 today) and secured my professional future.
The Strategist's Art Gallery: Lessons from Brueghel the Elder
To win this new challenge, I chose a master who shared my vision: Pieter Brueghel the Elder . His paintings are exercises in pure strategic thinking. Like Jesus Christ in his parables, Brueghel knew that wisdom must be conveyed through visual stories. Here, detail is not just art; it is critical information .
Let's do an exercise in correlating Art and the Business World.
1. The Census in Bethlehem (1566): The Hidden Asset in the Periphery
The Painting: Brueghel transposes the biblical story to a Flemish village during a harsh winter. We see a motley crowd: people slaughtering pigs, children playing on the ice, soldiers, and a long line outside the inn to pay taxes. It is a portrait of noise and bureaucracy.
The Detective Detail: Almost blending into the brown background, at the bottom, appears a woman wrapped in a blue cloak on a donkey, accompanied by a man with a carpenter's saw. They are Mary and Joseph. Brueghel paints them the same size as any villager, without halos of light or a central focus.
Practical Application: In senior management, the "disruptive event" or the great opportunity rarely takes center stage or becomes the headline of the report. It usually remains on the periphery, operating silently.
Lesson: Don't get distracted by the tax line (the daily operation); learn to locate the "Virgin in Blue" (the strategic value) that is discreetly entering your market.
2. The Fall of Icarus (1558): The Drama Against Substance
The Painting: Based on the Greek myth, we might expect to see the giant Icarus dominating the sky. Instead, we see a serene landscape with a peasant plowing, a shepherd gazing at the clouds, and a merchant ship following its course.
The Detective Detail: If you look closely at the lower left edge, among the undergrowth, you will discover the bald head of a dead man . It is a reference to the Flemish proverb: "No plow stops because a man dies." But there is more: that man represents the Philosopher's Stone (supreme wisdom) that lies forgotten.
Practical Application: The market is often distracted by "Icarus" figures: companies that rise rapidly and fall spectacularly. The strategist ignores the drama of others' failures to seek the "Philosopher's Stone" in the details that everyone else has overlooked.
Lesson: While the competition looks at the drama in the sky, you look for opportunity on earth.
3. The Calvary of Christ (1564): Operational Blindness
The Tableau: A monumental composition with over 500 figures. It's a holiday; people come to watch an execution as if it were a fair.
The Detective Detail: Christ is at the geometric center of the painting, yet almost impossible to find. He is crushed by the cross, dressed in an earthy color that camouflages him with the ground. The crowd gazes toward the hills or converses amongst themselves, oblivious to the momentous event unfolding before them.
Practical Application: This is what I call Operational Blindness . Your company's most serious problem or most urgent solution may be right at the heart of your organization, but if it has become "part of the scenery" due to routine, no one will see it.
Lesson: The strategist must "unlearn" how to look at the everyday in order to rediscover the essential that is hidden in plain sight.
4. The Flemish Proverbs (1559): The Systems Vision
The Painting: A village where every inhabitant performs an absurd action. There are more than 100 illustrated proverbs simultaneously: a man banging his head against the wall, another throwing money into the water, someone throwing roses to the pigs.
The Detective Detail: It's organized chaos. If you analyze each figure separately, you only see madness. If you look at the whole, you understand the human condition.
Practical Application: It represents Systems Analysis . A CEO cannot correct an isolated error (a proverb) without understanding that it is part of an ecosystem of behaviors.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT TOOLBOX: FROM ART TO PROFITABILITY
To help Brueghel's mastery and my experience in "The 13 Questions of 13" translate into results for you, I have designed these three immediately applicable workshops, based on the best practices of global strategic management.
WORKSHOP 1: The JCER Radar (Weak Signal Detection)
Inspired by "HBR Guide to Thinking Strategically"
The Harvard book emphasizes that leaders must develop the ability to anticipate . Opportunities like my "newspaper article" are called weak signals : data that's there but most people ignore it because of its low volume.
Exercise:
Margin Scanning: Don't look at your direct competitors. Look at the edges of your industry. What technological or social change seems small today but is constant? (Example: The return of a forgotten TV format.) Remember PESTEL
Connecting the Dots: How does that marginal detail connect to your core problem?
WORKSHOP 2: The Balance Sheet of Victory (Force Field Analysis)
Inspired by "The Vest-Pocket CEO"
Alexander Hiam proposes Force Field Analysis to unblock difficult decisions. In 1978, my debt to Ibero was a "Restrictive Force" and my knowledge of Brueghel a "Driving Force".
Exercise:
Restrictive Forces: Write down the three obstacles that are preventing you from reaching your goal today (lack of capital, time, equipment).
Driving Forces: Write down your three strongest assets (experience, contacts, a disruptive idea).
The Strategic Leap: Identify which of your driving forces can act as a "lever" to overcome the strongest constraint. Don't push the wall, find the key.
WORKSHOP 3: Brueghel's Pruning (Simplification of Complexity)
JCER Methodology for Senior Management
Just like in The Flamenco Proverbs , where there are 100 stories but only one vision, the CEO must simplify.
Exercise:
The Overview: Describe your business model or your current problem in 5 paragraphs.
The Pruning: Now, remove everything that is not essential. Reduce it to 1 paragraph.
The Essence: Finally, define it in a single sentence . If you can't explain your strategy in one sentence, it's because you still have Brueghel's "snow" clouding your vision.
Final Reflection
You now hold in your hands not just a success story, but a proven system. Strategic thinking is about reading the entire newspaper, finding the article about the $313,000 pesos (equivalent to 4.5 million today) , and having the audacity to call the producer.
Don't look for more resources. Learn to see the ones you already have in front of you.
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