Nicholas Bate

The Back-Story.

A Tip: Get a Bigger Picture

With a bigger picture there is hope beyond the school run, remembering Tuesday is trash/rubbish day and that Q3 will be the toughest yet. Take an A4 sheet of paper. Turn it landscape, add today's date plus 2 years and draw how you wish things to be. With clarity of vision things become a whole lot simpler. A vision beats the entropy of the day-to-day.

Simp>Comp 1: Do Less, Achieve more

Simp>Comp 2: Banish Distractions

Simp>Comp 3: Seek Wisdom via Knowledge

Simp>Comp 4: Dig Deep: Find The Real Issue

Simp>Comp 5: Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Simp>Comp 6: Articulate until Redundancy disappears.

Simp>Comp 7: Get a Bigger Picture

Simplicity, the Far Side of Complexity 7

The Back-Story.

A Tip: Articulate until Redundancy disappears

Many teachers/trainers know that the best way to understand a topic is to teach it. It's often expressed that this is because you are being asked questions. But it is also that your are constantly being forced to (re-) express your views. The more you talk or write professionally about a topic, the more the trivia, the unnecessary, the redundant disappear and we are left with the essential. It is not boring to keep revisiting your 2 year marketing strategy; it is actually essential: yes, the board should be dreaming about it. Write every day to get your head around your passion. Get up on your feet again and speak from the heart to fight the crazies.

Simp>Comp 1: Do Less, Achieve more

Simp>Comp 2: Banish Distractions

Simp>Comp 3: Seek Wisdom via Knowledge

Simp>Comp 4: Dig Deep: Find The Real Issue

Simp>Comp 5: Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Simp>Comp 6: Articulate until Redundancy disappears.

Simplicity, The Far Side of Complexity 6

The Back-Story.

A Tip: Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Under pressure, the mind/body has a plan B. Reptile brain takes over. Reptile brain is brilliant but it works to a set of pre-arranged sequences so that it doesn't have to think, because under pressure thinking is too slow. But all the amazing human breakthroughs come from glimpses of human brain in action. The true simplicity, the true elegance comes at lower speeds. Slow down for depth, breakthrough and aahhhaa!

Simp>Comp 1: Do Less, Achieve more

Simp>Comp 2: Banish Distractions

Simp>Comp 3: Seek Wisdom via Knowledge

Simp>Comp 4: Dig Deep: Find The Real Issue

Simp>Comp 5: Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Simplicity, The Far Side of Complexity 5

The Back-Story.

A Tip: Dig Deep: Find The Real Issue

Behind falling sales in division X, your daughter's unhappiness at Spanish and your e-mail overload there is an underlying reason. It's tempting to go with the apparent obvious one ('bad economy', 'tricky language', 'demanding team'). But dig deep. And deeper. The answer is often simpler than we make it ('poor questioning of needs', 'distracting boyfriend in same class','not explaining to team their responsibilities'). Then it can be addressed.

Simp>Comp 1: Do Less, Achieve more

Simp>Comp 2: Banish Distractions

Simp>Comp 3: Seek Wisdom via Knowledge

Simp>Comp 4: Dig Deep: Find The Real Issue

Simplicity The Far Side of Compexity 4

The Back-Story.

A Tip: Seek Wisdom via Knowledge

In a world which increasingly argues that knowledge is unnceccessary (why would I learn/study that: google/bing will help me in seconds), we are in fact making much of life harder for ourselves. With repeated knowledge comes understanding not something which can be 'searched'. With repeated understanding comes wisdom, certainly something which cannot be 'searched'. And with wisdom comes simplicity.

Simp>Comp 1: Do Less, Achieve more

Simp>Comp 2: Banish Distractions

Simp>Comp 3: Seek Wisdom via Knowledge

Simplicity The Far Side of Complexity 3

The Back-Story.

A Tip: Banish Distractions

It's June 1967 in London, UK. The business man waiting at London Paddington railway station at 0830 may or may not be interested that Sgt. Pepper by The Beatles is released. What is true is that he lives in a remarkably personal distraction-free free world: no 'smart' phone, no laptop, no e-mail, no voice-mail. No tweets, no face book. Was if better? No: just different. He had loads and loads of thinking time. And with thinking comes the breakthrough and with the breakthrough comes the essence of a subject: the simplicity the far side of complexity. In the 17th century data input was relatively low for most people. in 2012 it has almost become too much for many. Switch off:  banish distraction from your greatest work.

Simp>Comp 1: Do Less, Achieve more

Simp>Comp 2: Banish Distractions

Simplicity The Far Side of Complexity 2

The Back-Story.

A Tip: Do Less, Achieve More

It doesn't take long for us to reach overload. A software company which is attempting to beat a competitor on too many fronts, a coffee company which is opening in too many different cultures, a business school which keeps adding to the curriculum.

In any meeting, in any training course, in any planning workshop, in any holiday trip around the Far East, ask: what can we take away? How can we do less and add value to what we are doing? The buzz of doing a lot gets beaten-easily-by the buzz of achievement, of satisfaction. Of finally doing a job well.

Simp>Comp 1: Do Less, Achieve more

Simplicity The Far Side of Complexity 1

"I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity the far side of complexity" Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Any of us who have had a marvellous teacher such as one who finally helped us understand what algebra is really about or who inspired us with the magic of an author....or a lecturer who got us to realise the essence of leadership...or a manger who inspired us to be the best version of us....will 'get' this quote. Anybody can makes things complicated. It doesn't take too much effort to be simplistic. But who can give 'it' to us in simple form? The DIY instructions which make assembling  the table a breeze. The tax form which encourages us to get it right first time. The company mission statement which....er...actually makes us feel we are on a mission.

Simplicity is not simplistic. It is not superficial. It is very often not easy to articulate.

But it does aid learning, understanding and hence implementation. It is therefore often motivating.

A quest for the simplicity the far side of complexity is  a worthy one.

TBC.