Keeping It Simple

Greetings.  Last Sunday's New York Times included an engaging interview with Lars Bjork, the CEO of QlikTech.  In case you're not aware of this company, it is a rising star in the world of data software and business intelligence and has created a lot of excitement around it's new QlikView applications for the iPad and other mobile devices that enable their customers to track and analyze their data in real time wherever they are.

The core of the interview focused on Bjork's ideas about leadership, culture, and hiring and retaining the best people.  And his perspectives on each of these topics are insightful and refreshing.  But one particular comment really stood out as a fundamental challenge for most high-growth companies…companies that worry about losing their entrepreneurial culture and spirit as they grow larger and more complicated.  In Bjork's mind, the real issue is embracing "order" without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.  And his answer is to try to keep things as simple as possible.  He even suggests the possibility of hiring a "Simplicity Officer" (chosen from outside the organization) with responsibility for making sure that all internal processes are as straightforward and effective as possible.

Sound advice for businesses and organizations that have a way of mucking things up and making them way more complicated as they grow.  By adding more steps to processes that already work.  Or requiring more approvals to get very basic things done.  Or imposing more requirements and analysis on everything.  Or injecting lots of memos and emails in order to cover our individual and collective bottoms. Or allowing too many cooks to stir the pot and add their favorite ingredients.  All instead of keeping things simple.

We win in business and in life when we keep things simple.  And when we focus on the need for order rather than bureaucracy.

Cheers!