Values and strategic goals

Your perceptions:
Your views on the relative simplicity of your communications are probably not the most objective. If you want to know if you’ve done a good job simplifying a complex issue, ask someone you trust to read your proposal or listen to your presentation. Heed the advice you get and you’ll become a better judge of your own work.
The most successful consultants know that the real secret to simplifying the complex is the ability to “see” from the perspective of the non-expert. Until you are willing and able to get out of your own head and see the world as your client does, you’ll struggle to achieve the simplicity that your clients are searching for.
It is a key test for leaders: Can you take complex tasks – like working through countless variables for, say, your organization’s values or strategic goals – and distill them into a short list that everyone can remember?

“Be in. Be Real. Be Bold
“Be in. Be Real. Be Bold.” – and it’s memorable.
“‘Be in’ is all about passion. Life is short. There are so many interesting things we can do in our life, and I feel like if someone is just kind of showing up, it’s not worth it for them or for us.
“The second value, ‘be real,’ is really about being authentic in our communication. I have seen different cultures in my career that I felt had atrophied and needed revitalization, and they were the ones where you just didn’t feel like people were being real in terms of their communication. You’d sit in a meeting and work through something and think you got somewhere, and then you walk out of the room and someone’s putting the parking brake on and you don’t even know they’re doing that.
“And the last one’s about being bold. As some companies grow and develop, that instinct is almost beaten out of the system. To me, if we’re not failing a little bit, we’re not trying hard enough. I think great cultures encourage risk and are tolerant of failure. If you don’t do that, you’re going to end up with a culture that is stagnant and not thinking about the next generation of products and experiences.”

The repetition of “be” helps make it stick, but so does the fact that there are only three values. It seems to be the sweet spot for what our brain can remember day-to-day.

If a company has eight values, can the employees really be expected to remember them all? Think about a time you had to make a quick run to the grocery store – if you have to pick up eight things, it’s a good bet you’ll be reaching for a scrap of paper to make a list before you head out the door.

Decision Making
A simple explanation makes it easier and faster for clients to evaluate any proposal or recommendation. And few things bog down a proposal more than a drawn-out decision process. Express your complex ideas simply and watch your client’s response time speed up.
An added benefit is that simple concepts spread more readily. If a client can confidently explain your ideas to others, you multiply your influence among decision makers. When your ideas begin to take hold, you’ll see excitement for them build quickly.

Most importantly, though, your ability to simplify complexities is a potent testament to your expertise. The consulting industry is full of people who love to hear themselves talk. But clients respect those who choose their words carefully, strive for clarity, and emphasize understanding. Those consultants get quicker return calls and decisions from clients, and more opportunities for new work.

Taming Complexity
We all have opportunities to simplify some aspect of our business. Here are three ideas on how you can bring more simplicity to client service.
Don’t Boil the Ocean–or Think Big, Start Small: When you face a complex client issue, resist the urge to address it all at once. Nothing will get you wrapped around the axle faster than trying to come up with a “grand plan” at the outset. Of course, you want to fashion a long-term strategy, but decompose the project into its logical parts.
Be directional with your long-term objective and precise with your short-term plans. Start small, keep making progress, and remember the ancient Chinese proverb: a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
Limit the Number of Options: There’s always more than one way to do anything, and it’s good to give clients choices. Alternatives offer clients flexibility in how they’d like to work with you, which most clients will appreciate. But you can have too much of a good thing.

I once read a “modular” proposal that included three options for scope, two alternatives for a schedule, three options for an approach, and three payment options. The clients decided that evaluating all the options would be a waste of time, and that the proposal was an indicator of how the consultant would conduct the project. They gave the work to a competitor.
You’re the expert. Present no more than three options along with a recommendation on which one you think is best. Once you go beyond three alternatives, you’re introducing unwanted complexity.