Simplify!

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"Any damn fool can make it complex. It takes a genius to make it simple."

Many senior managers nowadays come in coaching with a need for innovation. And often, when referring to innovation they are puzzled, not knowing what form to give it. 

I often have had the sensation that “innovation” got into their imagination under the shape of a huge statue they have to worship because everyone says so. This statue, placed upon a towering and formidable pedestal, becomes invisible, as very few can articulate what 'innovation' truly means to them. What is even more interesting is that C-level managers often require their senior managers to innovate, however, they collectively cannot put a face to the respective statue.

What I came to realise in my coaching sessions, is that very often, innovation is about rediscovering and applying things that we used to know and do but, for a reason that used to be legitimate at a certain moment, we stopped doing. And one of such simple things that usually disappears with the speed of light from our awareness as managers, is to simplify.

The Essence of Simplification in Management

At its core, simplification in management is about revealing the essential aspects of an organization’s operations and strategy, thereby enhancing the clarity and effectiveness of decision-making. This process involves distilling complex ideas, strategies, and processes into their most fundamental components, making it easier to understand the relationships and dependencies between different elements of the business.

Simplification leads to numerous benefits that can dramatically improve management practices.

Firstly, it enhances focus, allowing managers and leaders to prioritize tasks and resources effectively. By identifying and concentrating on the activities that offer the greatest value, organizations can optimize their efforts and resources towards achieving their most critical objectives.

Secondly, simplification improves communication within an organization. Complex ideas and strategies can be difficult to convey and often lead to misunderstandings and misalignments within teams. Simplified concepts are more easily communicated and understood, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.

Moreover, simplification fosters a more agile and adaptable organization. In a simplified management structure, decision-making processes are streamlined, and teams are empowered to respond more quickly to changes in the market or operational challenges. This agility is crucial in today’s business landscape, where opportunities and threats arise with little warning.

Finally, simplification can lead to innovation. By reducing the noise and clutter of excessive information and processes, individuals and teams can better focus on creative problem-solving and exploring new ideas. The clarity brought about by simplification creates a fertile ground for innovation, encouraging a culture where novel solutions to complex problems are not just welcomed but actively sought.

Simplification as a mindset

There is a predominant temptation for managers to believe they need to do something in addition to whatever they already do to be able to innovate. While this is understandable since they have been appraised always for productivity, a too pregnant attitude of doing prevents managers from sitting and acknowledging “the big picture” and understanding how this picture is connected to their organizational or business objectives.

Although looking at the big picture is an action, this action is contemplative, it has no immediate result, and gives many managers the impression of not being productive in their “stillness”.

As if acknowledging (1) the elements of this picture, (2) the interactions between these elements, (3) what is present, what is missing, what is in excess, what is connected, and what is disconnected, and (4) how all these impact their organizational goals, carries no result in itself since thinking leaves no marks.

However, it is only in these assessment or reflection episodes, that managers can bring in their true added value: optimizing and innovating.

It is exactly at this juncture a manager with untrained resilience may become a liability to himself and the organization.

Why? Because “less is more” requires initiative, stillness, clarity of mind, focus, assertiveness, persuasion, comfort in setting boundaries, being comfortable with being visible, and showing accountability and responsibility - traits that support the respective manager to present their vision of simplification, a vision that often goes against the status quo.

Ways to simplify are many. Are you familiar with the corporate phrase told often even by managers: “I do not understand why are we doing it that way, but it is how it's done.” Your role as a manager is not only to catch these situations but also to prevent new ones from happening. 

Here is a list of ideas on where to look to start simplification in your management:

1. Micromanagement - exclude it! This will require you to shift to a trust-based leadership style and give your people the autonomy they need. Will also require you to create better agreements with your team members and learn to manage the expectations of all your stakeholders, including yourself. And to find a healthy way to temper your inclination to control.

2. Reduce layers of approval! By reducing the layers of approval needed for new ideas, faster experimentation and implementation of innovative solutions are enabled. This means you to be honest with yourself and accept there is no need for you to be in everything, or that maybe there is no relevance for you to be at all, and deal with your insecurities about the outcome while finding new ways to remain accountable for the outcome.

3. Streamline communication channels within the organization! This helps ideas and feedback flow freely across departments, enhancing collaboration and the cross-pollination of ideas that can lead to innovations. It requires you to initiate various actions to set or negotiate these channels, to persuade, to listen and to take on board your stakeholders’ input, and sometimes to be able to work with conflicts and manage them successfully towards advancing your objectives.

4. Implement a "minimum viable information" strategy for decision-making! While the outcome is faster time to market, more responsive product development or an increased organizational capability, it will require you to be confident in dealing with risk or in working with assumptions, to be able to maintain your focus under uncertainty and to be open to fail visibly and learn fast.

5. Be selective with the meetings and decisions you choose to be part of! While it is an obvious business need to keep yourself informed about what is happening in your organization, you do not want or need to participate in those where your role is “to be kept informed”. This requires you to be able to challenge any stakeholder requiring your presence, including your manager, concerning your role in that circumstance, to be able to respectfully say no even to higher authority figures in your organization, to accept your authority is not undermined if you will not be there, or to still be at peace when embracing and working with decisions taken in those meetings.

6. Reduce the complexity you create through your personal preferences! In other words, stay humble, remain approachable, and be dependable!  Often this means accepting a shorter power distance towards your team members, faster access to you, your time and your resources from various stakeholders, shorter communication channels to you, transparency of your agenda or of the communications your team members need access to, and a curated transparency of significant strategic decisions towards your team members. This will require your awareness of how you behave and the complications you may create around it, your continuous openness to listen to your team members or significant stakeholders and a shift of your visible behaviours that make things complicated.

7. Let go of the need for perfection! Whether this is the perfection you impose on yourself or others, with extremely few exceptions, chasing perfection is never an idea to pursue in management, neither at the individual level nor at the organizational level. Advancing organizational objectives and productivity are two things that can hugely be hindered by anyone’s aspiration for completeness, strictness, excessive accuracy or precision, or another type of perfection. This also means being able to set, hold and manage expectations that are realistic and practical, and work with the same standard of expectations regarding you and others.

8. Address root causes first! As a manager, you may want a situation to be fixed fast, but not addressing the root causes will just prolong the sickness of the system you manage. To address the root causes, you will have to be able to sit still and look at the processes, put aside your restlessness for calling it “done” or the need to impress your manager for having fixed it fast. You also need to accept that when root causes are not dealt with, failure is firstly yours as a manager for not taking care of the process. At times, it will require assertiveness and courage from you to convince decision-makers with more authority than you that taking the longer route is the best possible way to move forward.

9. Flatten hierarchy! You may be in favour that a strict hierarchy is necessary to ensure order and efficiency. However, implementing a more horizontal structure leads to collaboration and agility. Your role as a manager is not necessarily to build empires, but to allow the part of the organization you manage to do its job with a minimum of resources and/or in one shot. This means that you will always look for efficiency and effectiveness. Moreover, you will not take it personally nor get defending or protecting “your turf” even if your position as a manager will result flattened, your team members will be either relocated or made redundant, and you will manage a process or an account without anyone in “your team”. Accepting such a reality will allow you to display less resistance and integrate yourself quickly into your new role.

10. Simplify your life! The journey of a manager is one of continuous growth and evolution, which may lead to a divergence from past relationships and habits. Embracing change, including distancing from those who no longer align with your path, requires courage. It's about nurturing meaningful relationships and developing new habits that support your growth. Simplification extends beyond professional responsibilities. It's about releasing what no longer serves you, fostering personal development, and, when necessary, redefining your identity to align with your evolving goals and values. Simplification, in essence, is a process of focusing on what truly matters, both professionally and personally.

Before closure

As we draw to a close, it's evident that the path to simplifying is through peeling layers. Whoever goes this road, will learn soon the lesson of revealing the essence of what truly matters. And this goes beyond management and applies to oneself, too.

The examples and strategies discussed underscore the transformative power of simplification across various aspects of leadership and decision-making. Simplification isn't merely a tactic; it's a profound shift in mindset that requires your courage, your clear vision, and your steadfast commitment to cutting through the clutter that clouds your judgment and operations.

Reflecting on the essence of simplification, the act of making things simpler is not a diminution but an amplification of a leader’s impact. It is through the lens of simplicity that the most complex challenges can be understood and addressed effectively. This approach not only fosters innovation but also cultivates a culture of transparency, agility, and focused execution. Leaders who embrace simplification find themselves at the helm of more responsive, engaged, and innovative organizations.

Moreover, the journey towards simplification is both personal and organizational. It challenges managers to reconsider their assumptions about leadership, success, and value creation. It invites them to step back, reflect, and identify what truly adds value to their lives, the lives of the organization and even those they lead. This process of introspection and action is the bedrock upon which the future of effective management rests. Therefore, it can be not only assisted by coaching but also catalysed by it. 

Coaching remains a safe space where managers looking for inspiration on how to innovate or to deal with the challenge of simplifying can draw insights into what type of shift they need to activate within themselves first for creating the premises to make the shift happening in the organization or the structures they lead. If you identify yourself in any of the situations presented here, you are not alone. Write back, and let me know how you're navigating the complexities of your role and where you feel simplification could make a significant impact. Together, we can explore the avenues of simplification that align with your unique leadership style and organizational needs. 

Until next time, keep thriving!

Alina Florea

Your Management Performance Coach

How can I support you?

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You are always welcome to write back your suggestions on topics for the next articles. Your suggestions keep this newsletter running. Thanks to everyone who offered me ideas for these articles. You can enjoy at any time a complimentary strategy call in case you want to take these topics even more in-depth to your particular situation.

Summary:

 

Starting the journey of simplification is like finding clarity in the complexity of management and self-improvement. It's about cutting through unnecessary details to focus on what's really important, both in how we lead and how we live. This process requires courage, a clear vision, and a dedication to move beyond the distractions that limit our effectiveness and satisfaction.

 

• Simplification in management and personal growth involves cutting through complexity to focus on the essentials, requiring courage and a clear vision. It transcends traditional management tactics, representing a profound shift in mindset towards more effective leadership and decision-making.

• Embracing simplicity can lead to innovation, a culture of transparency and agility, and a significant amplification of a leader's impact.

• The process challenges leaders to re-evaluate their assumptions about success and value creation, encouraging introspection and strategic action.

• Coaching offers a supportive space for leaders seeking to navigate the complexities of simplification, providing insights and strategies to activate the necessary internal shifts for organizational and personal advancement.