WHEN THE SMALLEST PIECE OF DATA CAN SAVE YOU

A lesson in profitable wisdom: in the corporate world, I often see directors caught in the same dilemma. They surround themselves with "Big Data," with complex reports from international consulting firms, and disregard the simple data that comes from the receptionist, the factory worker, or a casual observation in the hallway.

Intuition is not magic; it is the brain's ability to connect points that logic dismisses as "irrelevant".

When you think you know everything about your business, open the "basic encyclopedia." Go back to the fundamentals.

Don't dismiss any source of information just because it seems too simple. Sometimes, the key to saving a multi-million dollar project (or winning a competition) is hidden in the obvious, waiting for you to let your guard down.

The Scenario: A Mexico glued to the television .

For generations born in the digital age, it's difficult to grasp the significance of "The 64,000 Grand Prix." In Mexico during the 1970s and 80s, long before Google and social media, this program wasn't just entertainment; it was a sacred national ritual.

Hosted by the legendary Pedro Ferriz Santa Cruz , the program represented the ultimate intellectual test. There were no lifelines, no audience assistance, and no room for error. The contestant entered an isolation booth, the door closed, and they were left alone with their own mind and the gaze of millions of viewers. At that time, 64,000 pesos represented a sum capable of transforming a family's life, the equivalent of years of salary.

There I was, a young contestant specializing in the life and work of Franz Joseph Haydn. The scoreboard showed the prize money jumping from $16,000 to $32,000 pesos. The pressure was immense. I had done my homework; I had devoured libraries and knew the biographies and scores as if they were my own life story. I felt insulated by the depth of my studies.

The trap of over-preparation.

However, one afternoon, fate (or chance) placed in my hands an object that my intellect despised: a basic encyclopedia. I don't remember who gave it to me—perhaps an acquaintance, perhaps it was simply there—but I do remember my internal dialogue. "What can this possibly teach me? I play in the big leagues of knowledge; this is a summary for amateurs."

It was the arrogance of the expert speaking. But something deeper, a quiet curiosity that operates beneath the noise of the ego, made me open it.

The silent discovery.

I read the brief entry about Haydn. It was generic information, except for a detail in a footnote, almost irrelevant: The first sonata Haydn composed in four movements was Sonata in G major, Hob. XVI:8 . "Interesting," I thought. And I closed the book. There was no ray of light. No celestial trumpets sounded, warning me that this fact would change my life. It was a natural act, as simple as breathing, and for that very reason, I forgot it instantly. My brain filed it away in the "minor facts" folder.

The moment of truth.

Hours later, under the studio lights, the host posed the question for the $32,000 pesos. "What was the first sonata Haydn wrote in four movements?"

Time seemed to stand still. My advanced books didn't mention that fact so clearly; they got lost in harmonic analysis. But the image of that "dreary encyclopedia" came to me with crystal clarity. — Sonata in G major, Hob. XVI:8. —I replied.

It was natural. I didn't feel like it was a miracle at the time; it was simply the right answer. I won the stage. I moved on.

The retrospective (20 years later) .

For decades, I told this story as a curiosity. It wasn't until a few years ago that I grasped the true magnitude of what happened.

That day I didn't win because I knew a lot; I won because of receptive humility . That event was an invisible turning point . If I had followed my rigid logic ("not reading basic things"), I would have lost.

A Lesson in Profitable Wisdom

In the corporate world, I often see directors caught in the same dilemma. They surround themselves with "Big Data," with complex reports from international consulting firms, and they disregard the simple data that comes from the receptionist, the factory worker, or a casual observation in the hallway.

Intuition is not magic; it is the brain's ability to connect points that logic dismisses as "irrelevant".

The Principle

When you think you know everything about your business, open the "basic encyclopedia." Go back to the fundamentals.

The Practice

Don't dismiss any source of information just because it seems too simple. Sometimes, the key to saving a multi-million dollar project (or winning a competition) is hidden in the obvious, waiting for you to let your guard down.

YOUR PROFITABILITY LABORATORY

Objective: To break the "workshop blindness" and find solutions in the basics.

Instructions: Think about that complex problem you're stuck on in your current company or project. The one you've tried to solve with long meetings, expensive consultants, or complex analyses. Now, you're going to apply the "Encyclopedia Principle," that is, go back to basics:

or Identify the "Invisible Source": Look for someone or something you would normally dismiss as "too basic" or "below your level".

Example: The newly arrived intern, the receptionist who handles complaints, the original user manual, an "introduction to the subject" book.

Or ask the "Naive Question": Approach that source and pose the problem in the simplest way possible, or read the basics again.

The rule: You are forbidden to judge the answer while you are receiving it. Listen with radical humility.

or The Golden Filter: Write down below an idea, however small, that you got from that source and that your "expert self" had overlooked.

either

either

The Promise: Sometimes, the solution to a million-dollar problem lies in a ten-cent observation.

 THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF YOUR TIME