GeneralWritten By: Sreeparna Sarkar

A long time back it was the great Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci, who said that “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Now, as human beings, it is in our instinct to complicate things unnecessarily instead of simplifying them. We live in a complicated time filled with computers, phones, and machines that are all supposed to simplify our lives, which ironically is not happening. It is often in our thoughts that if we only do simple things, there is nothing special to stand out in the crowd and we can go unnoticed. 

But simplicity is the only thing that can not only bring peace to our minds but also can generate success for business organizations. As an organization, we have a better chance to stick around if we keep things simple because simplicity is unique. The sheer simplicity of business plans and strategies make them easier to execute – the simpler the message, the easier it is to communicate, the easier it is to organize.

Simplicity is Great! 

When it comes to business, the first step towards success is to achieve simplicity. There is no single definition of simplicity as it varies depending on the contexts and settings. In simple terms, simplicity means leaving out everything that is unnecessary. It is a mantra to eliminate irrelevant and inefficient techniques, streamline business operations and focus on the company’s collective efforts on achieving strategic growth instead of just measuring growth. The modern tendency of people to want to do more makes it hard to achieve simplicity in the modern world but once achieved simplicity the priceless. 

How can Businesses adopt Simplicity?

In the age of new tools, globalization, digitalization, and interconnectedness – complexity is on the rise. A business can become more complex over time as it grows, distracting attention away from its core activities. However, striving for simplicity will create a healthier, more efficient, and more effective way for businesses to grow. To put it simply, this can be achieved by keeping an eye on specific goals and removing any unnecessary processes that divert our attention. According to Tony Robbins, an American author, complexity is the enemy of execution because it confuses people, undermines their confidence, and is the enemy of success because it is the enemy of execution. 

Below are a few tips on how a business can implement simplicity to lead more success and growth – 

•    Streamlining the goals:  

As an organization, we need to outline a set of clear and concise goals, which can be based on increasing sales, brushing out outdated processes, acquiring new customers, etc. While setting goals, we cannot have many varied goals as part of our business strategies – rather our goals should be limited to a specific number. In most cases, as businesses start to expand, managers and employees try to accomplish a myriad of tasks simultaneously. That is where business operation gets complicated. 

•    Cleaning up the obstacles:  

After streamlining the fundamental goals, we should focus on identifying and getting rid of top business challenges that often hinder us behind. By taking enough time to analyze and point out all the pain areas of the business we need to improve. We will only be able to improve our teams' efficiency and effectiveness when we simplify things by eliminating the obstacles. The more understanding and belief our employees have, the better results they will produce.

•    Selecting a strategy: 

Once the challenges are identified, it is time to choose the right strategy to reach the goal. If we keep our business strategy complex, then let alone the customers/clients, the employees will also not respond well. No matter how simple “Simplicity” sounds, achieving it takes a lot more discipline, foresight, and fortitude. To keep things simple we need to be bold and inventive. Today's advanced technology facilitates business simplification, in a somewhat ironic twist. 

Final Words:

Be it in marketing, in business operations, or even in life, simplicity will win the day most of the time – whether implemented in a speech, a business tagline, a service product, or in anything else. Simplicity tells the story about who we are and what we do by shortening the distance between the brand and the customer. Simplicity requires thoughtful attention, which is not difficult to achieve. As Steve Jobs said, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” 
 

TAGS - simplicity vs complexity art of balancing worklife balance

See Also - How the Cloud Is Changing Traditional Networking?