The Power of Simplicity In Business
Filed Under (My Book Reading) by Gogo on 23-03-2010
This book is as simply written as its name and as powerful as the promise it makes… to help you cut through the nonsense of everyday business complexity and experience the value of simplicity of thought, word, plan and action.
One of my favorite management authors, Jack Trout writes with an authoritative and somewhat sarcastic style that cuts to the heart of the matter while providing some entertainment (occasionally at the expense of other “management gurus”).
I wanted to read this book ever since I began to suspect that simplicity of thought and business will become a greater and greater competitive advantage the farther we go into the info-overload of the digital age.
The book begins with a discussion of “7 kinds of common fears” as reported by psychologist John Collard.
This first part of the book is ironically the only part of the book that really doesn’t resonate with me. I have serious doubts about at least 2 of the supposedly “common” fears. They are listed as:
- Fear of failure (I can agree with that)
- Fear of sex (What the…?)
- Fear of self-defense (Huh?)
- Fear of trusting others (Hmm…I don’t know)
- Fear of thinking (I kind of agree with that)
- Fear of speaking (I get that)
- Fear of being alone (I agree)
The author apparently supports Dr. Collard’s assertion that “fear of thinking” is responsible for why people tend to avoid seeking or embracing simple solutions because “instead of thinking things through for ourselves, we rely on the thinking of others”.
I don’t think so.
First of all, there’s no evidence that this routing of thinking through others is fear-based rather than a logical short cut; an ancient habit of ‘mining the wisdom of the crowd’.
Second, even our dependence on others is based on fear of thinking, I don’t see a logical argument that shows why the thinking of the “others” we depend on should automatically avoid simple solutions themselves.
I personally believe that the 2 biggest reasons why people add needless complexity to their businesses and lives have to do with fear of failure and insecurity.
This “fear of failure” echoes the thinking of another expert mentioned in the book.
Dr. Carol Moog explains that in our [American] culture, there’s a “paranoia of omission” which may lead people to bring up every possible alternative, or eventuality in solving problems. This, I agree with.
Going back to the book in general, I think it does an excellent job of pointing out some important areas of life where unnecessary complexity is often introduced.
The authors also do a great job of providing simple prescriptions for solving the complexity trap in each of those areas.
For instance, they make a credible argument for why so-called “common sense” is often the best answer. They provide instructions for avoiding complex language, information overload, and business complexity.
In dealing with business complexity, they illustrate the high cost of complexity in communication, marketing, strategy and so on. I found this book easy to read, and very insightful.
If you’re like me and you find that you need to “De-complexify” (yes, I actually found myself thinking that word at one time), you’ll want read this book.
Some other good books whose themes intersect with this one:
Made To Stick – This is one of my absolute favorite books on business messaging. It illustrates why short, simple messages are absolutely the “stickiest”.
Differentiate or Die – Another classic from Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin. “The book” on strategic positioning and branding for businesses; the book that re-popularized Rosser Reeves old “USP” (unique selling proposition) and brought simplicity and common sense back to marketing strategy.
The Goal by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt – This business novel introduced the “Theory of Constraints” management & process improvement framework to a startled business world. It was in this book that I was first shocked into discovering that the most complex systems often have just a few “change levers” that really count; like the weakest link in a long chain, there are just a few points that need to be changed at any moment.
