What is the genius of keeping things simple while fixing issues? The K.I.S.S. adage “keep it simple, stupid” is well known. It takes a lot more effort than it appears to be able to reduce something to its most basic form. Building your company is similar. We first acquire our education and business license. Then we go to the field prepared to put in a lot of effort. We learn along the road that there appears to be a lot more work to be done. One thing we underestimate is the amount of energy required to make good decision. Indeed, it appears that not much of what we learnt in school will contribute to our business success. What if this had a straightforward explanation? What if there was a step-by-step guide that we could use to accomplish our objectives? Imagine how much tension that would ease!
The good news is that every business owner may make wise selections by following a set of procedures. In reality, you may use these techniques to improve any aspect of your life, and they will be effective. Let me elaborate with a personal anecdote.
Research gives you valuable information
I recall an occasion from a long time ago. I considered constructing a solar panel. Sun energy and solar heating are topics that fascinate me. The self-sufficiency that this creates intrigues me. I read several books, articles, and construction plans. I wanted to know as much as I could about solar energy. I gained knowledge about light diffusion theories. How light is transformed into energy. then which storage media are the most efficient. I looked at a lot of unsuccessful project examples. The majority of these initiatives were funded with government money and were overseen by excellent engineers. I read periodicals that featured projects by regular people and their experiences. After conducting so much research, I felt overwhelmed and determined that the only way to get beyond this enormously intricate set of formulae and charts was to try a few quick tests to see what worked.
Making the issue simple will help you see what’s important.
With the goal of making future tests simpler to understand, I made a plain 1-foot square box. I then filled the container with a variety of different materials and set it in the sun. The first thing I learned was a surprise and I had not found any information about it. I was shocked to find out that the tiny test solar panel could actually become hot. In fact, it became so hot that the black paint I used to cover the items in it started to melt. I subsequently learned that this sensation is referred to as “out gassing.” When paint becomes so heated that it degrades, outgassing occurs, and a petroleum gas is released. The drawback of this is that it leaves an opaque layer on the panel’s inside. I had learned my very first lesson.
Five suggestions for making wise judgements when tackling problems
First tip: It might be challenging to find all the data you require to make wise decisions.
When you conduct in-depth investigation, certain issues become muddled. It becomes challenging to determine which information is truly crucial.
I then tried a variety of other materials in my experiment. I tried several of the top picks and the ones that came highly recommended. Much to my surprise, the most favored metal had the lowest performance! One of the finest resources, in my opinion, was something that almost no one ever brought up!
Tip #2: You should test the practical application regardless of your educational background. A hypothesis is nothing more than a guess without testing.
Experience here takes precedence over science or beliefs. Why? The true crucial variables can occasionally be overlooked by numbers or notions. To aid you with a challenging selection, you will look at several web resources. Each wants to inform you of the details of your issue. Some will provide you with the essential details. Some people will have the same thoughts that everyone else does. What you need is the uncommon sense that will make things clear for you.
We frequently receive calls from folks who have seen one of our YouTube videos. They call because they heard the one concept that completely clarified everything for them. They claim they wish they had known that concept years ago so they might have avoided all of this confusion and difficulty.
There was one memorable time while I was working on my solar panel project. It’s the one that time that sticks out from all of the other ones. I refer to it as the reality acid test. It is the testing ground for concepts that seem excellent on paper. I therefore concluded that the front wall of our home would be the ideal location for my solar panel. I started construction after tearing the siding off about half of the front wall. Everyone who passed by, including my wife and neighbors, thought I was nuts.
Tip #3: If you don’t agree with the prevailing viewpoints, be prepared to stand alone.
When you start, the same individuals who thought you were insane when your idea was only a “nice idea” will no longer back you. That’s OK as long as it serves your purposes. The best inventions were frequently straightforward answers to everyday issues that required fresh thinking.
My solar panel’s construction started soon after. I then saw that my retired neighbor, Harvey, would stop by. We would discuss the project for hours on end. Soon after asking about each phase, he had some suggestions to provide. Harvey had not only grown to be one of my supporters, but also a mentor to me. Most of my relatives and neighbors probably thought I was crazy. They spoke in a different tone each time we discussed what I was doing. That implied to me that they disapproved of what I was doing. I could understand their disbelief because, by most criteria, removing all the siding off your house’s front in the winter was weird action.
Tip #4: Working with a mentor makes the task go more quickly and effectively.
The greatest way to make wise decisions is to have a variety of mentors providing input. Many of the world’s most successful businesses have a group of individuals they submit their concepts and issues to. It aids their decision-making. They comprise both those who share similar viewpoints and those who hold opposing ones. Possessing both develops a balanced perspective when making a tough decision.
I did, in fact, complete the solar panel. Along the road, I had to make some modifications and get through a few minor obstacles. But ultimately, IT WORKED! It worked so effectively that the heat it produced was double what I had anticipated. I had discovered that having reliable knowledge is an excellent place to start. Having experience, though, completes the task. Harvey, my neighbor, had been there the entire time. He assisted me in planning out each step and offered guidance, as necessary. It was nice to be able to share ideas with someone else who was creative and came from a different background.
The fifth tip is that there will be difficulties in your way. They are there to help you polish your concepts and develop your personality.
Every significant achievement will demand several wise choices to go over challenges and issues. The challenges serve as a test to evaluate if we have the character to reach a higher degree of achievement. This is what personal leadership entails. Obstacles evaluate your readiness for new ideas and success, much like an exam in school. You must re-learn the lesson if you fail. Because of this, you might have occasionally in the past felt as though certain issues were recurring.
How does this relate to starting a business, facing a leadership issue, or reaching a difficult personal decision? Simply put, making a good decision requires that you educate yourself, put forth a lot of effort to test your theories, break away from conventional wisdom that doesn’t work, find a number of mentors or an expert to hasten and facilitate your learning, anticipate challenges that will test your character, and so on.
According to me, a performance business and leadership coach, achieving your objectives moves from being impossible to being feasible to being accomplished. With the assistance of a professional who has assisted many others in achieving their goals, success is much more feasible. In the end, there are only two ways to achieve success: one is a tortuous, meandering path filled with hardships, and the other is a quick, direct one where you may learn from others’ errors.