Monday, September 18, 2006

Complexity

I took most of the weekend off. Mostly with high guilt. I was in California and my brother, Mark, was also on the west coast doing a trade show so we got together. He is the glue that holds the brothers together. Constantly keeping in touch and keeping us together. Also a very fun and good person. So great weekend but feeling not totally ready for the week. Board meetings and conferences this week.

I have been thinking about complexity in business. Bob Huang commented that complexity in distribution is not linear. Larger and more initiatives makes it more complex. Double the size is four times as complex.

True genius is being able to simplify the complex.

7 Comments:

At 2:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jim Estill, a good example of reducing the complex to simplicity happened many, many years ago. A young insightful sailor decided that ALL US Navy regulations could be reduced to two statements: If it moves, salute it; If it doesn't move, paint it!

Sincerely,

Rev. John R. Horton

 
At 3:47 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Agreed,
Complexity definitely increases in as more initiatives are taken on, if that is the expected outcome. Some ways to reduce complexity of course is to make the initiatives follow a cookie cutter formula if possible, or as we've discovered in the past, ask the questions that make the complex seem like the obvious. Others with a fresh approach may give a complex set of issues an elegant, simple solution if help is asked for. Initiatives then become less complex. Lastly, if Complexity is the underlying theme, i.e. that is the expected outcome of taking on more initiatives, more than likely it will be.

 
At 6:28 PM, Blogger Jim Estill said...

Excellent points Kevin. Not all new initiatives need to add complexity.

Very funny John.

 
At 4:02 PM, Blogger steven edward streight said...

I like how Ecclesiastes rants and moans about how vain and meaningless everything is, you accumulate riches and power, then die and it's like nothing ever occured.

His conclusion: enjoy your work and your nourishment, have fun and stay wise.

Perhaps the guilt-ridden weekend with brother was the exact thing you needed to unwind and gear up later, but you soured it with Super Ego condemnation, the scolding critic telling you to work yourself to death and forgo any pleasure or relaxation.

I hate to tear myself away from the computer, yet my geek neck aches and makes cracking sounds.

It's hard to tone down a ramped up zeal for zero defects/perpetual improvement.

Leaders must enable and empower, inspire and exemplify. Relaxation is part of being a leader, even goofing off and "wasting time" with free and careless attitude.

We must release the diamond tipped pressure, or risk heart or mental trouble.

Now feel guilty for feeling guilty about relaxing and bonding with your brother, which is a Good in itself, you know.

(I prefer to avoid family stuff, prefer to stay at the computer, but darn it, I gotta be human once in a while, right?)

;^]

 
At 5:30 PM, Blogger Jim Estill said...

I agree with the theory of being guilt free. Now to develop the practise.

 
At 2:35 AM, Blogger steven edward streight said...

It's like we have to command ourselves sternly: "I will now relax, waste time, have fun, do something just for the sheer joy of it, with no agenda, no profit, no training objective, no reason."

The purposeless anarchy of having fun, it eases the mind, and lets physical structure calm down.

Creatively, it maintains an empty space, a productive void, where New Idea can emerge. So even in the randomicity of having fun, chumming around with friends and family, seemingly "wasting time", you are actually accomplishing an oasis mentally, worries and cares recede into it and vanish.

 
At 12:04 PM, Blogger steven edward streight said...

BTW, you are inspiring me to get a grip on how I spend and allocate my time, which is my weakest point.

As a clinical chronic perfectionist, I tend to latch onto something, and wrestle with it until I've got it the way I think it should be.

Like I spent from 12 midnight to 5 AM today trying to make a new video to post on my blog. I botched the project, was up too late, and have many things to do this morning, of much higher priority.

I'd say that in a perfectionist mode, my time management skills are out the window. I get obsessed with the Vision, the Goal, and forget that other things should not suffer due to the pursuit of the Ideal in a lower priority item.

 

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