Mehmet Acar, Forbes Türkiye
March 2, 2026
One of the most common traps that leaders and entrepreneurs fall into in the business world is “thinking by analogy.” Let’s do what other companies are doing just do it a little better. It is safe, but not truly effective. Real change happens in the kitchen.
The recent Apple TV+ series Lessons in Chemistry, set in 1950s America, tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist who is dismissed from the laboratory and becomes the host of a television cooking show. But this is far more than a “women’s story”; it is a strategic manifesto almost a lesson for CEOs built on the theories of “First Principles,” “Effectuation,” and “Job Crafting.”
Elizabeth Zott rejects the imposed template of “Smile and give a meatball recipe.” To her, the kitchen often feels like a laboratory. Cooking becomes chemistry. She doesn’t say, “Can you pass the salt?” she asks, “Where is the sodium chloride?” This perspective is the key to making meaningful change in the business world.
From Aristotle to Elon Musk: First Principles
While cooking in the kitchen, Elizabeth is actually applying an idea that dates back approximately 2,000 years to Aristotle. In his work Metaphysics, Aristotle referred to this as “arche” (origin/root): to truly understand something, you must break it down into its most fundamental, indivisible truths its atoms and rebuild it from there. Not assumptions, but physical realities should be the foundation.
One of today’s most visionary leaders, Elon Musk, translates this thinking into business as follows:
“Most people are like cooks who follow existing recipes. Innovative leaders are like chemists.”
When Musk entered the space industry, people said rocket batteries were too expensive and that it would be difficult to make money. Musk rejected analogy and, like Aristotle, went down to the “arche”:
“What are the raw materials of a rocket? Aluminum, titanium, copper. What are their prices on the London Metal Exchange?”
He realized that the raw material cost was only about 2% of the rocket’s selling price. The problem was not the materials it was the production method. That is what “First Principles” thinking is: breaking down what everyone calls “impossible” into its fundamental components and making it affordable.
One of the most striking examples in history is Johannes Gutenberg. While others were asking, “How can we write faster by hand?” (analogy), Gutenberg reduced writing to its smallest unit the letter and combined the mechanics of a wine press with coin-stamping techniques to invent the printing press.
Elizabeth Zott does the same in the series. When asked, “How do you make lasagna?” she does not answer, “Like my mother did.” Instead, she asks:
“How do protein bonds break under heat?”
In my view, that is the path to perfect lasagna.
There Is No Perfect Plan: The Theory of Effectuation
In the series, Elizabeth loses her laboratory. She has no resources, no budget, no team only a kitchen. This is where the theory of “Effectuation,” introduced by Professor Saras Sarasvathy in 2001, becomes relevant.
Managers typically think in a “causal” way:
“I will make lasagna tonight, so I should go to the market and buy the missing ingredients.” (Goal → Resources)
Entrepreneurial leaders think “effectually”:
“I open the fridge what do I have? Spinach, eggs, and some cheese. What can I create from this?” (Resources → Goal)
Effectuation is based on the “bird-in-hand” principle. Leaders ask themselves three questions:
- Who am I?
- What do I know?
- Whom do I know?
They do not wait for perfect conditions they start with what they have.
The founding story of Airbnb is a perfect example. In 2008, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia could not afford their rent. They did not conduct market research and conclude, “The hospitality industry is profitable” (causal thinking). Instead, they looked at what they had:
“There is a design conference in San Francisco, hotels are fully booked, and we have an air mattress.”
They started by offering that air mattress and breakfast (“AirBed & Breakfast”). To finance themselves, they even designed and sold cereal boxes called “Obama O’s.” Today, Airbnb is valued at over $100 billion built on the principle of starting with available means.
Another contemporary example is ZOE and nutritional science.
ZOE, founded by Tim Spector, represents a modern continuation of Elizabeth Zott’s philosophy that “food is chemistry.” The company rejects the “one-size-fits-all diet” (analogy) of the traditional diet industry. Instead of telling people what to eat or avoid, ZOE sends test kits to their homes (effectuation bringing the lab home) to help individuals understand their own body chemistry and microbiome.
Users send their results back to ZOE, which then provides not a fixed meal plan but a decision-support system through an AI-powered mobile app.
When you eat an apple, a handful of almonds, or a slice of pizza, the app shows how that food affects your blood sugar, lipids, and gut microbiome through a personalized score.
ZOE does not give you fish it teaches you how to fish by helping you understand your own biology. Just like Elizabeth Zott says, “I’m not teaching you how to cook; I’m teaching you the chemistry of cooking so you can be free.”
Redesigning Work: The Art of Job Crafting
Ultimately, Elizabeth’s greatest success lies in redefining her role.
In 2001, Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane Dutton introduced the concept of “Job Crafting” at Yale University. This concept sparked a quiet revolution.
Wrzesniewski observed cleaning staff in a hospital. Some described their job as “cleaning floors.” Others saw it as “helping patients recover.” The latter group went beyond their formal duties they changed photos for coma patients and engaged in conversations with elderly patients. They added meaning to their work.
Wrzesniewski called this “Cognitive Crafting.” Employees reshape their work without waiting for managerial approval, redefining its meaning.
Elizabeth Zott does exactly this. She does not see herself as a TV host she sees herself as a teacher guiding millions of women.
One of the most striking business examples is Richard Montañez, who worked as a janitor at Frito-Lay. His job was to sweep floors but he did not see it that way. He saw it as an opportunity to contribute.
He took defective chips home, added Mexican spices, and created “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.” When he had the courage to call the CEO, he was doing exactly what Elizabeth Zott did:
“This may be the label given to me but this is the value I create.”
Do Not Be Bound by Recipes
Lessons in Chemistry reminds us that leadership is not confined to the CEO’s chair.
Leadership means questioning like Aristotle, starting with what you have like Airbnb’s founders, and infusing your work with new meaning like Montañez.
Now return to your desk (or your kitchen counter) and ask yourself:
Am I just a cook following recipes or a chemist writing my own formula?
