Page 41 · Module 01, Think Like a Strategist · this screen continues that page
All 108 frameworksMental Models Library
You keep solving problems the same way and getting the same results. You need different
The prompt
Copy & paste readyLabelsReplace theseSwap the role below
Pro tip, from the book
After every quarter, add one new mental model you discovered and note a situation where it would have helped. In three years you'll have a thinking toolkit no one can buy.
Who should run this prompt
Module role profileWho should reason through this problem? The quality of your thinking is shaped by whose lens you borrow. A strategist and a risk analyst look at the same problem and see completely different things — both useful, both necessary. Before you prompt, choose who you need in the room. These profiles give you six internal perspectives and four outside views that challenge your assumptions before you commit to them.
Choose any role to drop it into the prompt above. Only the highlighted opening clause changes — the rest of the prompt stays exactly as printed.
◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist◈ outside the organisation
How to make any role sharper
- Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
- Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
- Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.
Use this when
The problem it solveslenses, proven frameworks that help you read situations faster and more accurately.
How the framework works
From the printed pageA mental model is a simplified map of how something works. The best founders carry a library of them. Pareto's 80/20 shows where leverage hides. Parkinson's Law explains why work expands to fill time. Dunning-Kruger maps confidence vs competence. The Iceberg Model shows what's visible vs what's driving behaviour beneath the surface. The value isn't memorizing the list, it's reaching for the right model at the right moment, the way a mechanic reaches for the right tool without thinking about the whole toolbox.
The method, in four moves
Do these in orderDescribe the challenge or situation you're trying to understand.
Ask AI to apply 3–5 relevant models to your specific situation.
Look for where two or more models point to the same root cause.
Build your own shortlist of 5 models you find most useful. The thinking lenses every leader should carry Leaders build a mental model library and then apply the same two or three models to every problem usually the ones they learned first. The value isn't in having the models. It's in knowing which model fits this specific situation. Ask: am I choosing the right lens, or the familiar one?
Where the framework comes from
Charlie Munger / Farnam Street (Shane Parrish) — The Great Mental Models, 2019
Pairs well with
As printed with this frameworkModule 01 — Think Like a Strategist
Learn to work with AI. Then learn to think. Both are non-negotiable.
13 frameworks, printed on pages 22–47.
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