I love to KISS

Yes, I do. I love to Keep It Simple, Stupid. People who know me a bit better will undoubtedly recognize this saying.

What surprises me and makes me curious is the phenomenon that we as humans sometimes make things so unnecessarily complex.

In practice, I come across many situations in which a good idea is born. Something that will really help and can make a difference in solving a problem. But the idea is never implemented because other people can pinpoint what is wrong with it or why it is not going to work. They send the person back to the drawing board to further elaborate the idea based on new insights and obstacles. Without even trying. And that is such a waste.

Or you may recognize this:

Many organizations work with KPIs or OKRs. And to know when you are successful or if actions are needed to make adjustments, you want the KPIs or OKRs to be measurable and to be able to report frequently. And that often does not work. Because we make it too complex. The data is not available, so we do not report or we have too much data and reports so that we lose sight of the bigger picture. We miss the point in both situations.

Why are we making it so complex?

In my experience, people do this from a positive intention: wanting to do it well. Sometimes it can also come from fear: the fear of being judged or rejected or not being good enough. And as far as I am concerned, we have to get rid of that. Let’s keep it simple and fun with each other. Start simple and from there you can improve again.

How?

Focus on what you have or can do and take the first step. Experiment, learn and improve.

Say yes to an idea and take action on what you can do.

First report on your KPIs or OKRs with a traffic light principle or have everyone involved indicate on a scale of 1 – 10 what the probability is that the target will be achieved.

And of course, there are many other ways to keep it simple.

Ask yourself, “How can I make it work?”

So focus on what is possible and what you do have!

KISS