Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
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Colin Powell, retired four-star general in the U.S. Army, former U.S. Secretary of State, National Security Adviser, Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believed in eighteen rules for effective leadership. Today, I'd like to talk about rule number fourteen:
"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through an argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand." —Michael Korda
"Effective leaders understand the KISS principle, or Keep It Simple, Stupid." suggests General Powell. "They articulate vivid overarching goals and values, which they use to drive daily behaviors and choices among competing alternatives. Their visions and priorities are lean and compelling, not cluttered and buzzword-laden. Their decisions are crisp and clear, not tentative and ambiguous. They convey an unwavering firmness and consistency in their actions, aligned with the picture of the future they paint. The result? Clarity of purpose, credibility of leadership, and integrity in organization."
I agree. Keeping things simple does a number of things that contribute to project success:
- It makes the high-level project objectives accessible to project teams
- It keeps everyone focused on the things that are most important
- It protects everyone on the team (including stakeholders and team members) from getting bogged down in the minutia, and focused on those things that are important
I believe most successful projects have one thing in common, the objectives are straightforward and simple to identify. In the military, sports, or any endeavor for that matter, successful leaders share a consistent vision of exactly what the project objectives are. Project leaders should take the same approach. If your work management methodologies and project management tools help facilitate a simple approach to getting work done, your project teams are more likely to achieve success.
Do you think keeping the process simple is important? What do you to follow the KISS principle?
Posted on: June 17, 2010 10:20 AM |
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