Keep it simple

A key valuable insight into achieving business success is to keep it simple, clearly defined, aligned and congruent.

I call it the Strategic Simple Efforts. You progress from simple ideas to visualisation, experimentation, prototypes and then, you ramp up to achieve fulfilment.

Your starting point is to ensure that your business makes a meaning before you start thinking of money. Successful business people embark on it because they have an idea they want to express to the world. There is a “wrong” or problem they have identified and they want to put it right. No matter the challenges that might pop up, they will not give up because they are very passionate about what they want to do. Starting and growing businesses “consume your life.” You must love what you are doing in order to grow and sustain it.

When you are clear about what you are doing, you can then chart your perspectives because “the totality of your products or services” must provide beneficial functionalities to enhance lives and society.

You must focus on few things. It must be a handful, so that it can be done excellently well. John Bezos, Chief Executive of Amazon, explained that his purpose of doing business “is to provide differentiated offerings by bringing beneficial things to the table.” He added that in order to achieve this, “you cannot skip steps.” No short cuts. You must take the simple, clear steps with passion and ferocity. Also, you must persist and be relentless. You have to be stubborn on your vision, so you will not give up. You must, however, be very flexible on details because you might find out some of your preconditions are wrong. Also check feedbacks always and fix them.

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, talked about the “Cohesive Larger Vision.” In business, cohering means working together or coalescing. When smart teams work together on simple, clear and actionable ideas and concepts, they deliver great results. Brilliant and innovative teams achieve extraordinary results because the total will always be greater than the output sum of individuals.

This concept is supported by an idea in physics that was developed by Cockcroft and Walton that mass when impacted by light will produce extraordinary things. Small quantities of matter when impacted by light produce precious metals like gold and silver.

Steve Jobs also gave us a template for success in growing businesses. He said “Apple is incredibly collaborative and organized like a startup. We are the biggest startup on planet earth. We have zero committees and meet three hours once a week but we touch base regularly. One person is put in charge of individual operations. There is tremendous teamwork and we trust each output head to come through his own part without watching him. We all give ideas and solve problems. The best ideas carry the day.”

Bill Gates, the apostle of personal computing and richest man in the world for 20 years, noted that “I love being a student because from basic and simple ideas, you always know that you can do better.” He pointed out that “making mechanisms simple and developing basic designs, make Windows better.”

Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group recommended 10 rules for success in business, namely: Keep it simple, very clear cut and have affinity for easy-to-understand concepts and ideas, be a good leader; be good to people always and remember to be a great motivator all the time. “You must praise the best in people because if you water your flowers always, they will flourish.”

He added that “you must shake things up and keep improving and keep doing it better.” His own version of delegation is that “you must find people who are better than you so that you can together affect lives positively.”

A successful strategy is the one that ensures a better and stronger matching of your organisation’s strengths with customers’ needs and at the same time gives you an edge over competition. No wonder Guy Kawasaki, strategist at Silicon Valley said we must “niche” our companies.

Also, intelligently manage the strategic interplay between the three key players in business: the organisation, the customer and competition.

Other aspects such as, cost leadership, operational excellence, product or service superiority as well as customer intimacy will also deliver the expected success with simple but clearly defined strategies.

Another simple strategy that works for employees as well as customers is the constant interaction between the two. Experts call it “pro-social motivation.” Advantages are; showcasing the mantra that “customers matter” and propelling employees to do what matters most.

Simple thoughts and ideas signpost the track of positive growth always. Strategies in their simplest forms, help the organisation in clarifying measurable monetary and fiscal policies; ensuring superior and sustainable returns as well as the dedication of employees.

Let me conclude with the “never give up on your dreams” policy of Elon Musk, today’s world’s richest man and Chief Executive of Tesla. Elon Musk failed three times in a row in trying to operate commercial space flights but he refused to give up. He said, “I do not give up until I achieve my dream.” Elon Musk also points out that “it is possible for ordinary people to become extraordinary.”

Simple ideas and concepts at the end of the day, will always deliver extraordinary results.

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