Thinking Wrong in Business

Laura Quinn, the founder of 'Do One Thing,' a Delhi-based consulting firm, starts out her talk on business by asking her TEDx audience if any of them enjoy getting things wrong. Predictably, almost no one raises their hand. From here, she goes on to explain her own answer to that question, telling her audience that she often likes to go off the beaten path to figure out new ways of solving something she might not otherwise have encountered.

In her professional opinion, there's never been a more important time for "businesses to start thinking wrong, taking different directions and finding new solutions." This is of special importance for the future of the environment, as well as social change, as thinking "wrong" in business usually means focusing on something other than profit.

In her experience, telling this to corporate investors and business people is difficult as a consultant, as they generally see her suggestions as potentially damaging. Throughout her talk on business however, Quinn extrapolates on the importance of being environmentally and socially conscious in business today and that simply focusing on profits is no longer enough. That is, if more companies choose to think "wrong" every so often, they'll set a higher bar for others and in the process, ensure their own growth.