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The Power of Simplicity Achieving More with Less – What Is It and How It Works |
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By Vadim Kotelnikov, Inventor & Founder, Ten3 BUSINESS e-COACH – Innovation Unlimited, 1000ventures.com
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"You can't believe how hard it is for people to be simple, how much they fear being simple... Clear tough-minded people are the most simple." |
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Operational Plan: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." – Albert Einstein... More
By: Terry Collison
Why Simplicity Works "Simplicity works because it is based on human nature and common sense."1 It helps people work smarter. DOs and DON'Ts of a Successful Innovator By: Peter Drucker DOs Keep it simple, keep it focused... More
18 Leadership Lessons from Colin Powell
Great leaders are almost always great
simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a
solution everybody can understand. The result? Clarity of purpose,
credibility of leadership, and integrity of organization....
More The Universal Problem In today's era of over-communication, the avalanche of news about the rapid changes of modern life and management issues is turning people off. "The universal problem seems to be how hard people have to work just to figure out what to do. Task work has been streamlined, but knowledge work has become more cluttered and confusing. Making the right choices – fast, while everything is changing – is now the toughest part of getting our work done."1 Most management training teach you to deal with every variable, seek out every option, and analyze every angle. "Unfortunately, when you start spinning out all kinds of different solutions, you're on the road to chaos. You end up with contradictory ideas and people running in different directions. Simplicity requires that you narrow the options and and return to a single path."2 The Growing Avoidance of Complexity The psychologist Dr. Carol Moog states that in our culture, there's is a "paranoia of omission". There's a sense that you have to cover all your options because you could be attacked at any moment. You can't miss anything or it could be fatal to your carrer.2 This leads to maddening complexity. The best way to deal with these natural fears is to focus on the right problem. That's the power of simplicity. Besides, people don't want to spent too much time on thinking. By simplifying a complex issue, you are making it easier for people make a decision faster, without too much thought. Apply 80/20 Rule to Your Business
"Because business is wasteful, and because
complexity and waste feed on each other, a simple business will always be
better than a complex business".
To succeed in
managing change
and transforming your business by applying the 80/20 Principle, you need to
demonstrate that simple is beautiful and why. Unless you understand this,
you will never be willing to give up underperforming 80% of your current
business and overheads. "The way to create something great is to create
something simple... Progress requires simplicity; and simplicity requires
ruthlessness," writes Richard Koch.6...
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There is always an
easier way to do it.
When looking directly at the easier way, especially for long
periods, you will not see it...
80/20 Principle: 10 Golden Rules for Successful Carriers
Learning Power In learning, we want things fast, but we don't have time to study. "The world is changing so rapidly that by the time we learn something, it has often changed in some way, shape or form... We want satisfaction, proof that even though life is moving quickly, we are gaining on it and we are making a difference."5 Simple ideas from people who have done simple things and achieved great results make this high-speed race more manageable. They enable you to get started in small, immediate ways that make a difference, confident that you will make progress if you take the initiative to act. Case in Point General Electric (GE) Jack Welch summed up his prescription for winning in three words: Simplicity is one of the keys to business. It is an art form, with many definitions: "To an engineer, it's clean, functional design with fewer parts. For manufacturing it means judging a process not by how sophisticated it is, but how understandable it is to those who must make it work. In marketing it means clear messages and clean proposals to consumers and industrial customers. And, most importantly, on an individual, interpersonal level it takes the form of plain-speaking, directness – honesty."... More The Four Powerful Questions... Fast Decision Making... Establishing Guiding Principles... Unpacking Proposals... Behave Like a Small Company... Case in Point Google... Case in Point Buffett's Teachings on Investment... Case in Point Dell Computer Corporation...
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Bibliography:
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"Simplicity - The New Competitive Advantage in a World of More, Better, Faster", Bill Jensen
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"The Power of Simplicity", Jack Trout with Steve Rivkin
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"Jack Welch, speech, The Bay Area Council, San Francisco, California, September 6
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"Direct from Dell", Michael Dell with Catherine Fredman
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Foreword to "1001 Ways to Energize Employees", Jack Stack
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"The 80/20 Principle", Richard Koch
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"Roads To Success," Robert Heller
