Are You Overcomplicating? - Proteus Leadership | Leadership Article
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Are You Overcomplicating?

Chances are there’s something you’re working on now that seems overwhelming. You may have lots of moving pieces on a never-ending project. Or you’ve got too many people involved in making important decisions.

In business, things can be complicated. You’re inundated with massive amounts of information daily. You have to consider strategic issues, tactical implementation, competitive pressure, change, technology, etc.

On top of all of this, there are the truly complicated challenges – ‘people issues’. People issues show up as personality clashes, performance problems, hurt feelings, conflict, blame, jealousy, turf battles, communication problems. It can be difficult to know where to put your time and attention. Trying to focus on everything at the same time is exhausting, not to mention unproductive. So your goal as a leader should be to strive for simplicity.

What areas of your business are you overcomplicating?

Challenges frequently arise in the following areas:

Business strategy

Some companies are overcomplicating their strategy development process with too much data. They tend to overanalyze – and have trouble executing. As one CEO said, “We’ve got so many metrics in place, we’re spending too much time trying to track activity without getting real work done”.

Marketing

Some companies feel pressure to jump into marketing tactics like social media and advertising when they haven’t thought through their marketing strategy. It gets complicated, and before they know it, they’ve spent lots of money on activities that aren’t producing results.

Communication

Entrepreneurs struggle to make their marketing message simple. “How can we explain what we do so our market understands our services, and wants to buy”?

Processes

Large companies are especially vulnerable to complicated processes. Many are working to streamline processes in different areas to increase efficiency and reduce cost. Determine a process you’ll improve that will make a big impact.

If you’re overcomplicating, here are some things to stop doing:

Stop procrastinating

Creating complication can be an excuse not to take the action you really need to. “I’ve got so much to do, I don’t know where to start”! You may be complicating things in your own mind. Change your view. Think, “This doesn’t have to be complicated”.

Stop deciding by consensus

Some decisions can be made at the top without everyone’s involvement. Involving too many people in your decision-making naturally complicates the process and slows it down. Some executives are concerned about leaving some people out. They fee political pressure to include people who really don’t need to be involved. Use your discretion.

Stop creating so many choices

Contrary to popular belief, people prefer fewer choices. Limited choice aids decision-making. Rework service offerings or solutions for clients to make it easier for them to find the value you offer.

Stop micromanaging

Unfortunately many micromanagers may be unaware of their own behavior. It bogs down projects and muddies the waters. Allow employees to think and do for themselves. You’ll accelerate progress.

Stop trying to prove how smart you are

When you know a lot about a specific topic, you don’t have to share everything you know. You might create confusion unintentionally. Focus only on what’s most relevant.

When you’re frustrated by situations that seem too complicated, ask questions like these to uncomplicated them:

·       What’s the shortest route to the outcome we want?

·       What if we can really achieve our goal in half the time?

·       What’s the core message?

·       What are the most relevant ideas to consider?

Simplicity is smart, but it’s not always easy. Your leadership challenge is to look for ways to create simplicity in your work and business. Keeping things simple helps your team, your customer and your business.

By Gayle Lantz

 

Proteus Leadership is one of Australia’s premier leadership training and development companies. Proteus Leadership provides leadership courses and management training to a range of industries and assists organisations to build positive workplace cultures, implement change and Create Great Leaders. Proteus also facilitates a range of world-class management courses, workshops, conferences and events across Australia and beyond with the sole purpose of bringing leaders together to connect and grow.

“Our core purpose is to Create Great Leaders that will in turn build Great companies and develop Great teams.”