It Is Not Supposed to be Complex

It Is Not That Complex

Why do we make it complex? There is a tendency in business to make things more complicated than they need to be. What is designed to be a simple task becomes almost impossible to accomplish. There are a few explanations for this.

Start at the top. If management does not adequately explain the task to the person or persons to whom it is assigned, they cannot function effectively. If a nut must be tightened onto a bolt with only three twists that needs to be conveyed to the person putting the nut on the bolt. Otherwise that person might think that it is better to tighten the nut all the way. Clear direction is essential.

Lack of Direction Can Be a Problem

Often the person who is assigned the task will make it more complex than it needs to be. Lack of direction is one reason for that. Insecurity about completing the task can be another.

If an employee is nervous about their ability to do the job they can come up with various roadblocks that can stop them from having to tackle it in the first place. As a business manager you have to be alert to those situations. Lack of productivity on the part of an employee can sometimes be attributed to nothing other than fear of failure.

Address Fear of Failure

That fear of failure needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Many times that fear is as a result of not really understanding what is expected.

Recently I worked with a company that was having trouble in the lead generation department. Leads were down. Further investigation revealed that one of the employees was spending too much time concerned with the quality of the leads. Rather than follow the simple instructions about placing the call and asking the qualifying questions, he was researching each potential lead before making the call. Of course, that was not his job.

As a result, his overall performance began to fall and the more it diminished, the more insecure he became. That caused him to spend even more time avoiding just making the requisite calls and doing more research.

Paint the Big Picture

My client called me in to speak with the employee and I discovered he just didn’t really understand his role in the entire process. He was never told how he fit into the big picture.

His efforts to increase the quality of the leads was actually slowing down the sales process. I explained that the sales staff had the job of qualifying the leads. All he needed to do was to put names and phone numbers on the sales department’s desk. The rest was up to them.

Good communication is essential. Things got turned around here and the lead generator got back on track.

Beware of those situations where things become too complex. That is always a sign of some trouble. Address it at once. But do it by asking questions, not leveling criticism.

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