| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Six Reasons to K.I.S.S.
Six Reasons to K.I.S.S. "Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most." We've all heard THIS acronym, K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple, Stupid! While I prefer, Keep it Splendidly Simple; the point is the same. Make it simple! All of us have heard the phrase. All of us nervously laugh and knowingly nod our heads when we hear it. All too often we don't follow this sage advice. We've all heard the joke that a consultant is someone who will tell you about how to design, build and sell a watch, when all you wanted to know was the time. We are stereotyped often as people who like to make things more complicated, if for no other reason, than to justify our fee. While I don't completely agree with the stereotype, as is usually true with these things, it contains a grain of truth. I believe we can serve both ourselves and our clients better if we remember to keep our proposals, project plans, reports and other services more elegant (defined in my dictionary as, "ingeniously simple and pleasing, or excellent"), or simple. Here are six reasons why we should strive to make simple one of the criteria for our work products: 1. Simple reduces errors. The more complex something becomes, the easier it is to make mistakes. Want your client to implement your 18-step model? How likely will they be able to successfully navigate each step without errors or frustration? Not very likely. Which is of the following is more likely to succeed? A nine-page booklet of steps to follow in using the new software, or a concise job aid, that gives 80% of the users all the detail they'll ever need, in a more usable format? (Even if you do need to provide the in-depth handbook, perhaps you need to write the job aid too!) When we design simple, elegant solutions, the error rate drops.
A short comment in a recent Leadership Team meeting I was facilitating nudged me to write this. They were discussing a vision for their organization, and someone was talking about keeping things simple. They stated it as, "Sealed with a KISS". I've decided to use that a criteria for all of our client work, and for internal efforts as well (even my personal projects!). Hopefully this piece has given you pause to think about this concept, and accept my premise. My next article will focus on how to keep or make things simpler, but including those ideas now might clutter your mind. Until then, try "sealing things with a KISS". ©2001, Kevin Eikenberry, All Rights Reserved. Kevin is the President of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps their Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. Go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/training/training.asp to learn more about customized training and workshops on consulting services offered or contact Kevin at toll free 888.LEARNER.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
CEOs Role in Family Business I first met Roland (not his real name) in 1972. He was a high school student working a summer job in his father's business. What Your Employees Want You to Know (But You Might Be Afraid to Ask) This is a challenge for every company owner and manager. You have tremendous plans for growth and expect a lot of your employees. Internal Control - The Why and How Many retailers do not have good internal controls in place and place little importance on them. They are concerned with the buying and selling of merchandise and do not place enough emphasis on making certain that the sales get recorded, the money gets in the bank, the invoices are paid only once and the inventory reports are correct. How to do SWOT Analysis for your Business SWOT analysis is needed for all business to understand how to improve their business.To have best SWOT Analysis we use below methodSWOT on Strengths that you can use for improving your business. I Said Pareto Chart? Not Potato Chart! Does this sound familiar? You were hired for the new management position. You were tasked to turn the numbers around. Problem Solving - Think Cleopatras Ass Picture the scene. Anthony pops down to the guardhouse, partly because he wants a break with the lads, but also because he has a problem. Survival of the Fittest: The Road to Human Extinction I was watching a TV program some months ago about a biologist working in Central America who was dedicated to protecting the panther species from extinction. During the program I heard him make a comment that upon reflection I found had embedded in it seeds of wisdom that not even he was aware of. Think it Over You can't solve a problem with the same thinking that created it. Albert Einstein Every decision is a deliberate act. Innovation Management - Eliciting Dominant Ideas Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. People - You Cant Make Them What Theyre Not Many business people and managers are spending too much time trying to change the underperforming people who work for them. They seem to believe that if they train people - tell them what to do or even threaten them with the sack - then the performance level will go up. Assertiveness Helps Accomplish Everything When trying to get something accomplished, assertive behavior is the most effective. Although other methods may accomplish the intended ends, the alternatives imperil our own rights or those of others, creating conflict and building mistrust into relationships. The Most Important Thing Youll Ever Do The wellspring of confidence is belief. When you believe in something, you accept and have conviction about the truth, actuality, or validity of that thing. Radical Creativity from Incremental Creativity - large movements from small changes Positive radical movement is the holy grail of nearly every decision maker. Every CEO wants to radically shift his profit and loss statement into the black, every inventor yearns to find the next killer gadget and every screenwriter wants to make the next significant leap in film. Is Busyness Affecting Your Business? I'm too busy; I'd love to but I'm very busy; I'll get round to that when I'm not so busy.How often have you said any of those phrases? How many times a week do you hear someone else say those phrases? They're very common and busyness seems to have become a way of life for many people. Succession Planning? ... Not on My Watch! At first blush, it would appear there is no shortage of Succession Planning Advocates convinced in theory, the importance and benefits of corporate Succession Planning. In practice, however, real succession planning - or the overt lack thereof - runs juxtaposed to principle. Hire The Person, Not The Resume "? [get] the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats (and the wrong people off the bus) and then [figure] out where to drive it." - Jim Collins - Good To Great"Hire the best staff you can find, develop them as much as you can, and hand off everything you possibly can to them. Don't Get Down - Manage Up! "Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him." - Aldous HuxleyEver have one of those supervisors that just didn't quite get it?Perhaps you even wondered from time to time how in the world this person ever became a manager in the first place?The truth is that most of us, at some point in our career, will experience this firsthand. ISO 9001 and Total Quality Management Total Quality ManagementTotal Quality Management, or TQM, has become one of the most frequently discussed topics in current business literature. Because of the competitive pressures created by Japanese companies, quality became a competitive weapon in the 1980s in most industries. Can Your Business Run Without You? If you are a business owner or a business owner to be, let's examine this scenario.Like other people, you are so excited when you first started your own business. Why Half of All Mergers Fail After the Honeymoon Ends Marriages and corporate mergers in America have at least one thing in common, more than 50 percent end up on the rocks. In fact, according to a McKinsey study, only 23 percent ever recover the costs of walking down the corporate aisle.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
