Albert Einstein has it right with his famous quote’ Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
At the best-of-times the average person is exposed to copious amounts of information, data and complexity on a day-to-day basis. We are deluged with information from our employee, bosses, co-workers, social media channels, our smartphones, email , social media and success is more and more dictated by what we stop doing rather than what we start doing. With this in mind, why is it that we continue to make things more complex? Here’s a thought, how about we just start with simplifying some of the things we do each day?
A common challenge I see in landscape companies is the layer upon layer of complexity and general difficulty processing thoughts and making decisions. It’s hard enough making sounds decisions that aren’t founded on our own personal biases, but add in a deluge of data, sometimes absurd and redundant systems and processes and bad choices that lead organizations to become paralyzed.
If you do not see it from the inside, let someone help from the outside. An organizational assessment is a great way to get an impartial view of how the organization is operating from a neutral perspective.
Simplifying the organization…carefully look at your systems and processes. Identify 4-8 of the top metrics that are important in your business. Develop effective systems around those metrics, systems that can measure data and be used for process improvement and empowers and challenges TEAM members to always do better .
This is a simple and effective framework we use to help both landscape company owners and individuals to quickly grasp the organizational improvement process. A few simple steps start with:
1.Get Aligned: Understand and identify what is important to the company as a whole not just individuals. What are your values and objectives?
2.Get Aware: How do we think, how do we act, how to we deliver. What are the organizational strengths and weaknesses?
3.Get Smart: Learn concepts and utilize technology that support effective thinking and operational performance.
4.Get Results: Map out goals and strategies that align with your company values, goals and objectives in a realistic, measurable and practical way.
Of course the process has considerable content and needs to be customized to the organization, but instead of jargon and complexity, start the process with simplicity, clarity and context. Einstein once told us that “if you can’t explain it to a six-year-old you don’t understand yourself,” while da Vinci once said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” When you are looking for your next solution, try breaking it into chunks and simplifying; when choosing support for your business, consider simplicity.
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