Hanlon’s Razor: A Smarter Way to Work at CARS24

We live in a world where there is a lot of doubt and very little belief in each other. Which is also why it becomes critically important to earn trust in all spheres of life. As a species, trust is the foundation on which each one of us thrives. Without trust, there is no parity and without parity, there is negligible progress. 

These same underlying principles play a role in an org too. And more so at CARS24, where Autonauts (that’s what we call ourselves) are expected to embrace the highest standards and set examples for others to follow in our ecosystem. Yet, there are unplanned moments when an individual gets tested. 

For instance, I am sure you must have felt frustrated when:

• A dealer didn’t show up at the decided time
• A lead didn’t convert despite a brilliant pitch
• Tech delivered something slightly different than expected
• Your message was left unanswered by a colleague
• Your manager ignored your suggestion completely

But what if I tell you you could be totally mistaken here? 

Sometimes, we overthink and ignore the basics. Often, we tend to jump the gun and blame others for being malicious towards us, when in reality, malice wasn’t the problem at all.

Time to say hello to Hanlon’s Razor

Hanlon's Razor is an idea that singularly focuses on human behavior with respect to circumstances. It simply asks you to look at the bigger picture: before assuming someone is being malicious with you or harbours ill intent towards you, just consider the possibility that their actions can be a direct result of factors like incompetence, stupidity, ignorance, or plain misunderstanding. 

In other words, the world does not exist solely to make your life miserable. 

Whenever a distressing situation takes place, instead of theorising too much, just start with a primary question: “What if it wasn’t malice and just a miss?”

Happens.

We’ve all been there.

However, instead of falling into the blame-game trap, try to see through a more benevolent lens. Your first point of reference for others should never be malice. There are much bigger behavioural problems like oversight, misunderstanding, or simply a genuine mistake.

So, why this matters at CARS24?

For starters, we are a dynamic organisation. We are multidimensional in our offerings and we work really fast, and that too across teams (not to mention, different offices, cities), and are often dealing with high-stake situations. Cars, even preowned ones, are high-value products and it’s necessary to keep this in mind. Things occasionally go off-script because we are all humans and we have to rise above ourselves first, before rising to a given occasion.

Hanlon’s Razor helps us approach such vulnerable moments with three qualities: 

Empathy: Everyone you are dealing with, be it colleague or customer or vendor or dealer) are just like you; they have their benefits as well as shortcomings.

Clarity: Look at what is at stake and how you can leverage it to the benefit of everyone involved in it; knowledge is key to solving problems/conflicts.

Problem-solving: Instead of marinating in the questions you are facing, try to look for answers; the more you are focused on solutions, the faster you get out. 

This is easier than you think. All you ought to do is accept that there is always room for improvement. None of us are perfect.

Let’s Try some Real-life Examples

Situation: Seller dropped off post-inspection.

Mindset: Maybe they misunderstood pricing, not that the sales team missed a step.

Situation: Dealer flagged missing info on a car.

Mindset: Inspection might have been rushed due to weather or location constraints, not negligence.

Situation: Campaign didn’t deliver conversions.

Mindset: Might be bad timing or improper targeting, not a lack of intent from marketing.

Situation: No response to your Slack messages.

Mindset: The person might’ve been on the field or in back-to-back calls, not ignoring you.

The trick is to tell yourself that it’s a possibility that others are not being malicious towards you. Of course, there will be exceptions but the first principle mindset should be of benevolence, not scorn. 

Steps to Practise this Mindset

In CARS24, each Autonaut is believed to have utmost ownership of what they are supposed to deliver. In such an environment, it’s a given that we are assuming the best out of people, not the worse.

• First ask “What could have gone wrong?” instead of “Who messed up?”
• Assume a miss before assuming a bad motive
• Immediately reach out for clarity, not conflict
• Maintain your calm throughout 
• Your words reveal your character, use them wisely

Final thoughts

In our fast-moving environment, Hanlon’s Razor helps us stay calm, stay kind, and focus on fixing a said problem, instead of wasting our time, energy and resources on fingerwagging. We are not here to blame each other. We are here to lift each other. 

Let’s make it part of how we think, act, and grow together. Let’s not forget that a culture that assumes the best of others tends to move faster, collaborate better, and win bigger.