Category Archives: Business

Keeping it Simple

Simple Instructions, simple tasks

Do you ever feel like you sound like a broken record? I know that I do. I often cringe listening to myself rhyme off reminders: “Brush your teeth.” “Don’t forget your homework.” “Take the garbage out.” Yet, the fabric of our routine and the hum of our household co-exist within these simple tasks.

I am tend to repeat idioms. Chances are you can read one on my fridge on any given day. “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” “What goes around comes around.” “Practice makes perfect.” These phrases so often encapsulate the core message I am trying to share that I admit I may sound a bit trite at times.

Ultimately, however, I have learned that my success, both as a parent and as a consultant, depends on how closely I follow the KISS principle. “KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.” Time and again I find myself falling back on this concept. It helps guide my decision making; it helps me correct course when things aren’t working out. It seems that following KISS often leads to “things falling into place”!

Mired in the Weeds

I recently got mired in the weeds writing a phone contract for my son. Before undertaking this project I read lots of other contracts. I borrowed the best of each, and wrote up what I thought was an airtight set of rules for managing his phone. This original contract was long on substance but short on enforceability. It was far too prescriptive and, as a result, in the real world of crazy family living, elements were broken without consequence. It was too complicated to enforce consistently, so was not effective when needed.

His new contract boils down to FIVE principles. The heart of which is that it is my phone and that I can do what I want with it, when I want, except he is responsible for paying for any repairs. I don’t think it could be simpler. Simple but effective. I can bring any transgression back to the contract and he can’t really argue with me.

The best thing about the new contract is how uncomfortable it makes my son. He can see how easy it is to enforce and that I mean business. He was much more comfortable stewing down in the weeds than exposed out of them!

Simple Does not Mean Easy

Consulting tools and solutions need to follow this same principle. In my experience, any time a project or report is getting too complicated it is probably time to step back and simplify it. Now believe me, this is harder than it sounds. Gathering information and over-analyzing it is often a lot easier than distilling its core message.

The irony of this is that smart clients often try to pull consultants down into the weeds. Just like my overly complicated phone contract, it is sometimes more comfortable arguing about picky details than identifying and solving REAL problems.

Until you distill your core – SIMPLE – message, it is usually difficult to figure out how to solve a problem. Make your clients and kids uncomfortable: fall back on simple, and see how much easier it is to manage results and realize desired outcomes.

The Art of Rising Above

Pick, Pick, Pick

My brothers and I are each six and a half years apart. In many ways this makes us operate more like only children than like normal siblings. We certainly had our issues growing up, but we generally didn’t battle it out on a regular basis the way many siblings do.

Conversely, I had three kids in four years. Yikes. What was I thinking? On a good day I’ll tell you how lucky they are to have built-in playmates. On a bad day all I hear is bicker, bicker, bicker. Pick, pick, pick. I never knew three people who could manufacture such petty arguments in such a short time.

What my children haven’t figured out yet is that the crux of their grievances with each other often gets lost in the midst of their bickering. I generally react either to their incessant noise or because someone starts to cry. While peace may be temporarily restored, the source of the problem remains, just waiting to erupt again.

Workshop Anyone?

As a consultant, my natural tendency is to problem solve. When I listen in on their arguments it is hard for me to resist the temptation to build a straw-man model and run a mini-workshop. Surely if we talk it out we can find a workable solution!

The problem with this approach is that often what my children see as urgent is such a low-hanging fruit in terms of family issues that it hardly bears acknowledging. Do we really need to waste an hour discussing why it is IMPOSSIBLE to share a music stand? Believe me we could, and I could develop some thoughtful recommendations for moving forward……

The real issue in the case is sharing, and solving this, from my experience, will take patience and persistence. It is not an easy, quick fix.

The Heart of the Matter

What strikes me is the symmetry between picky sibling problems and making sound recommendations. When undertaking any kind of organizational assessment it is easy, and indeed tempting, to focus on the obvious, picky problems. Stakeholders often try to keep a conversation mired in the weeds to avoid talking about what really matters.

The challenge is acknowledging these kinds of issues without focusing on them. The best recommendations tend to contain an AHA element, tempered with a realization that their implementation will take some work. It is only by rising above and taking an objective view of the whole picture that it is possible to determine what is really going on.

Good Enough

When “healthy-ish” is Good Enough

The headline in this month’s Bon Appetit is “healthy-ish”. The edition is full of “delicious, comforting, home cooking that happens to be kinda good for you.” YUM. How refreshing. Shouldn’t food taste good, first and foremost? In my experience, home-cooked food, even food laden in butter, is a better alternative to anything from a jar, bag or can regardless of how healthy it may claim to be.

Someone I know thinks I spend too much time cooking. I believe that the backside of this is that I don’t spend enough time cleaning. The truth is that I personally derive much more pleasure cooking food than cleaning it up, and if the by-product of homemade meals is a “cleanish” kitchen then I’ll take it. You may not want to eat off my floors, but my meals taste pretty good. Good Enough for me.

The same is true for me when it comes to workouts. I love walking and doing yoga and pilates. Nothing crazy hard or intense, but enough to keep me “fit’ish”. The thought of running a marathon makes me gag, but that is really not the point. I am healthy, feel good and enjoy exercising. Oh, and guess what, since I work out diligently I am getting both stronger and more able…. maybe even close to fit.

Nudging towards “-ish”

I think there is a lesson here for all of us, and particularly for consultants. Sometimes an organization may benefit more by being nudged forward in an incremental way than by undergoing a massive transformation. In other words, encouraging them to change something with a view to becoming “good enough” rather than setting unrealistic goals in an effort to become “outstanding”.

Consultants strive to deliver the best possible results. It can be difficult to recognize when “good enough” may be the answer. However, like the transition from packaged food to healthy-ish cooking, or moving the couch potato into a low-intensity, but enjoyable activity, small changes can have lasting, transformational results.

Next time you make a recommendation stop and think whether becoming good enough just might be the best possible result.