Many of us these days are overwhelmed. Organizations are going through multiple changes. The technology keeps requiring more learning even when its purpose is to make things go more smoothly and efficiently. We feel we have more and more things to do to keep up.
I recall working with a group trying to solve a challenge and someone asked, “What if it were easy?” Everyone stopped. This option had not been considered. In fact, there was a simple solution and a lot of effort could be eliminated.
We are creatures of habit and it is hard to stop doing things that we think “should” be done. When I ask teams to consider what to stop doing, there are often blank faces. Of course, sometimes people are worried about job security and other times we don’t consider other options. One team I worked with was able to reduce over 50 major projects the company was working on down to six. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the meeting. The leadership team was aligned and had a process to monitor 6 initiatives. They had more confidence and increased market share after making it easier.
A small business owner was spending a lot of time and money trying to market the company’s offerings. They had multiple ways of marketing. When they considered how to make it easy, they realized that most of their work was coming from referrals. By focusing on communicating with a small number of people, they saved time and energy and had greater results. In fact, it became easy.
Ask yourself, “Am I willing for it to be easy?” Then expect an easier option. Examine your current “should” and look for what you can reduce or change to make things easier.
