Never Ask a Centipede How it Walks!

Senti the centepede was happy with life, feeding on debir and dead organic matter. Till one day the wise owl asked it a question. The following is their conversation.

Owl: Hi Senti how are you today?
Senti: Oh Owli. I am very well indeed, thank you.How are you doing?
Owl: I am not very well. I have been consumed by a puzzle, that I have been trying to figure out. I am not able to make rational sense using the laws of physics or engineering.

Senti: what may that be, wise one that worries you? You know everything about the world. There is nothing you dont know. We use you as our counsel.

Senti quickly move up the branch, all 100 legs working together in perfect alignment to get closer to the owl, who looked on with fascination.
Owl peered at Senti and said "I am puzzled about you"
"Me?" asked Senti
Owl: I am wondering how your 100 legs work, so perfectly, so synchronised? How do you manage it Senti, without ever tripping over yourself?
Senti: I, I ,I,...actually I never thought about it..(peering down at his hairy legs)
Senti was puzzled as well. He never make any effort to walk, all 100 legs moved in an amazing coordinated rythm. They flowed without effort. Senti even started feeling proud of his body part that he had never thought about at great depth.Senti began to think how the 100 legs move.
As if by a trigger Senti found some difficulty in walking now. Some of his legs were stuck, some intertwined. He was amazed again, he could not walk anymore. He could not figure out why. He looked up to see Owl flying away, chuckling.
Retail, folks is something like this. In an earlier article I had called it the Ecosystem. It is. Many a time we are unable to explain our successes in retail and our failures, in fact the latter may be easier than the former. Successful retailers try to replicate factors of success, without asking why. Is this good? Well, who would quarrel with success?
Retailing has millions of moving parts, that have to work in unison. In no other industry is the aspect of human coordination so well exemplified than in retailing.
But an analytical mind is always good, and necessary. But it may be inevitable that we cant explain everything that leads to success or failure.