Simple is Good

Have you ever met someone who loves to complicate things? They relish showing you how smart they are by making a concept or procedure so difficult that only they can understand it. These people don’t get very far in business and often become politicians. In truth, it is much more difficult to simplify than it is to complicate.

There are three ways you can make your interactions with others free from confusion and complication.  They are:

Exercise common sense. Don’t impose unrealistic expectations on others. If you ask someone to complete a task for you, first make certain that it is possible. It can be a challenge, but it must be possible. Next, make certain that it is ethical. You should never ask someone to do anything that would in any way compromise your integrity or theirs. Finally, ask yourself if you can live with the most extreme results of your requests or actions. Common sense in dealing with other people is the best way to keep things simple and a great way to draw in your own luck.

Maintain an external orientation. Always try to see things from the other point of view. It’s easy to get caught up in your own agenda and fail to see how the other person may view your behavior or actions. A successful person – someone with Career Intensity – views the world with an external orientation. He examines each action from the perspective of an outsider. This helps give him a clear picture of the issue at hand before he proceeds. He checks his ego at the door and he takes the best course of action – not just because it is best for him, but because it is also the right thing to do.

Remember that wishing doesn’t make things happen. Hope is a great tool for staying optimistic and positive, but achieving your goals requires action. Do not make decisions based upon things that you hope will happen. Make decisions based upon concrete evidence, past precedents, or the resources that are available. Keep wishful thinking out of the decision-making process. You will thank yourself later.

If you keep these three things in mind as you go about your business you’ll be surprised at home many issues seem to “take care of themselves”.

Comments

[Adrian Savage]

This is a wise post. Thanks, Dave, for your insight.

I'd like to suggest a fourth requirement: time.

It takes time to think something through and remove all the unnecessary elements. When people do things in a rush, they often combine superficiality with complexity, mostly because they haven't allowed themselves enough time to delve deeply and sort what matters from what doesn't.

It takes longer to be simpler.

Adrian

[Dave L]

Adrian,

You’ve hit on a couple of great points:

1. It does take longer to make things simple. I agree. That time is productively spent as we are focused on the things that truly matter.

2. Prioritization is critical. In simplifying things we must be highly self-aware. We need to understand what is important and what we can do to make certain we give important items the time and energy they deserve.

Thanks for your thoughts and thanks again for reading.

Dave