It's Easy to Understand Hard in Business

 

It’s Easy to Understand Hard in Business

No question, it often seems as though we live in a complicated, bewildering and challenging business environment. This goes for both those attempting to build a business and those seeking to create a rewarding career. There seems to be an endless stream of challenging problems to solve. And yet, the reality is that, at its core, the business of business is simple. Believe it or not, the tougher it seems to get to be in business, the simpler it should be to be in business. 

My contention is that the single biggest inhibitor to decoding the simple secrets to problem solving in business is a bumbling gaggle of bureaucratic managers who only offer byzantine systems, inflexible control points, conflicting strategies and knee-jerk actions which only serve to make problem solving much more complicated than it need be. And this approach to problem solving leads to suppressing the flow of fresh ideas and creative actions that could convert challenges into opportunities. 

So, what do we do about it?  

The way to deal successfully with what appear to be formidable business problems is to avoid being sucked into thinking we are dealing with complex issues and problems. Instead, when what seem to be difficult problems arise, focus on doing the simple things that will ultimately resolve the problem, but make sure to simply do them. 

This may not be easy to do, because just about everyone you interact with is going to try to convince you just how complicated and difficult the problems are to resolve. However, you will be surprised how quickly solutions to these problems will appear, when you encourage yourself and others to think small and simple, rather than big and complex. 

And the moral of the story … 

In the long run, focusing on those simple things we can influence and control will prove to be the best way to resolve what may seem to be insoluble problems and keep the business of business simple. If we break any problem down to simple steps and simply take them, big things will get done, That does not mean that implementing such a philosophy is easy – it isn’t, but it is simple.

 

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Bob MacDonald – Former CEO of ITT Life, founder of LifeUSA, retired chairman and CEO of Allianz Life of North America, author of numerous books on business, management and leadership. Bobmac5201@gmail.com

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