It's easy to get caught up in the complexity of it
all. After all, everything is connected to everything else. There
are so many results for any one action that it's tempting to get lost
trying to understand the implications. If you are not careful you will
feel like you are wondering through a house of mirrors. But, there is
almost always a simple way through.
Occam's Razor states
that simpler explanations are, other things being equal, generally
better than more complex ones. It's called a razor because when there are two
explanations and one is more complicated than the other, it is
suggested you slice away the more intricate of the two.
How often do you find yourself flummoxed by the details of a particular
situation? Next time that happens, pretend for a moment that the
situation is much easier than it appears and make a decision about the
right thing to do with the limited information you have. Then ask, What is the worst that could happen? If
it's life or death, take some time to think through the details.
Otherwise go ahead and take action knowing you can always course
correct as needed. This will keep things moving and allow you to adjust
in response.
“I take a
simple view of life: keep your eyes open and get on with it."
― Laurence Olivier
My most recent
book, Getting
Innovation Right, was published just two weeks ago and now has two
five-star reviews on Amazon. Robert Morris (who reviews many, many
books) called me a "world-class pragmatist." I was very pleased with
that because running a business can be so challenging. It's nice to
know I am getting a reputation for being sensible and realistic for
something so difficult to accomplish.
Andrew Sobel, one of my favorite authors, also gave me a great review
stating that I "produced a very thorough, careful, and well-researched
book on how anyone and any organization can innovate--and profit from
their innovations." How rare it is in life that we produce something
that is appreciated by someone we admire for the very reason we were
motivated to create it. That alone made this review gratifying to read.
Watch a video of John Maas of Jossey-Bass interviewing me here: http://www.spreecast.com/events/seth-kahan-book-chat
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