If you want to be dependable, effective and build long lasting profitable relationships, learn to keep “it simple”. Many technocrats make the mistake of trying to prove their sophistication by complicating simple matters. Perhaps they are not doing this to impress. Maybe they want to win by instilling fear and silencing opposition and those proud enough to ask for explanation of jargon used.

Business problem solvers must do their best to keep it simple, for having it any other way will result in strained relationships. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 July 2020.

Sometimes I do not know what motivates and drives people. You would think people would be happy working on challenging initiatives and their successful resolution of problems, outcomes that will spur them to want more exposure to even more challenging work. But no! “Short-sightedness”, conceit, and somewhat partisanship still plague many. They do not realise that their “reign” will equally be unsustainable and will soon end, as it is the nature of life that modernisation or exposure to it somehow, is inevitable.

Technologists are notorious for throwing jargons around when motivating for the adoption of their recommended approaches and resolutions to problems. Yet when given a chance to proceed with their plans, they produce scant results and many excuses for the failures. This behaviour has now caused business decision makers to reach “saturation” point and no longer willing to trust any word from their IT advisors.

Some business decision-makers in large corporations have even gone further, risking violation of corporate governance by “taking back control” and running with technology initiatives alone while having their IT advisors merely as endorsers of decisions made. One cannot blame the business for taking such a stance just as one may feel sorry for innocent IT personnel subjected to and having to suffer such mediocrity all because of poor performance by others before them.

Things do not have to be this way. The relationship can be reset and lost trust restored. But this would require some degree of humility, honesty and remorsefulness for wrongdoing shown by the culprits. Many have egos higher than Mount Kilimanjaro and would rather quit or move to a different role than admitting wrongfulness of their past actions. Such, we cannot help.

Those eager to rekindle relationships with their business counterparts sustainably, you need not look far nor “collude” with others to win trust back. Your best bet lies in simplicity and leverage.

Sometimes what you have is more powerful and can take you further than things you do not have or aspire to have.

You first need to learn to manage your “mouth”. Stop overpromising, wanting premature accolades. Start breaking the problem and its related solutions into smaller steps. The plan may be holistic and audacious, but the execution may be simpler with smaller, winnable, and incremental steps taken towards achievement of the holistic solution.

We delight in praises, but we need not entrap ourselves by promising things we are not confident we can deliver. Even if we are certain of delivering, it is better we make fewer promises and delivering more to astound even the worst of our critics.

Resist the temptation to find fault at predecessors. Rather, find ways of improving the situation and shifting the focus on what needs to be done and not on what has not been done. The issue is not even about the adage, “what goes around, comes around” but doing all you can to live cordially with everyone. We need each other, even if you do not think much of those you think lowly of, that they could add any value to your life.

Collaborate with people able to contribute meaningfully than spending energies trying to suppress others so you could succeed at their expense. Everyone has a role and you are likely to attract talent towards you if you are renowned for welcoming fresh ideas and empowering contributors, than placing yourself central to every idea as though you are the source of insights.

Leverage your assets and find ways to repurpose them in a new context. Solutions are not always from outside, though there is abundant innovation out there. Try to find inspiration from innovation by others and see how best you could learn from it and incorporate in your leveraged solutions. Life has taught us that there are many ways of solving a problem and there are equally many solutions for almost anything. If you do not believe me, the Internet is littered with ways of doing things and ways of undoing things.

For example, try searching for methods of and solutions for blocking “VPNs” and see the number of responses you will receive. Again, search for “how to unlock blocked VPN” and see what comes up next. Basically, there is virtually nothing you cannot do or undo without someone somewhere offering a solution. This, then means, you are limited by your thoughts on any solution you may need to resolve problems you are experiencing.

It follows then that, ideally, we should not rush to “buy” solutions punted without first doing all we can to exhaust as many possibilities as we could think of, of resolving problems. Solutions to those “bigger” problems often lie in the simplicity of those already in place. You just need to leverage them and find improved ways of sustaining their relevance.

Understand the implications or impact of the absence of your current solutions, even if they are inadequate. We often trivialise the gaps the current solutions have closed when we focus more on their limitations. A thorough understanding of what you will lose if the current solution is removed is needed, as this will enable you understand more of capabilities its replacement should already have.

Also, avoid gullibly accepting at face value, everything you are told by marketers and salespeople. Sales and marketing people are in the business of selling you something and not necessarily solving all your problems. Indeed, their offerings may solve some aspects of the problems you are experiencing. Be careful though, that you do not lose the priority and importance of the issues you are trying to resolve before settling for any offering purported to be a solution to your problem.

If possible, verify capabilities of the proposed solution and thoroughly check it against the strengths of your current, though limited, offerings to ensure the new always advances your cause without having to spend significant capital trying to make the new solution work within your environment.

Avoid falling for fads, and these come in all forms, from liberal use of terms to gadgets. Stick to simplicity and see “chaff easily falling away”.

Good things eventually end, though there is more we could discuss on this topic. Let us leave it here for now.

There’s sustainable value in simplicity. Let us strive for it and prosper!