KISS

Keep It Simple Stupid. If you’re planning anything – a holiday, a corporate takeover, a bank robbery – keep the plan really simple. It avoids confusion, cuts away trivialities, increases focus, and is much more likely to succeed than a nuanced plan with lots of moving parts.

I’m writing this from a tent. I’m next to a Scottish Loch and the only things I’ve had to do today have been to keep fed and watered, and dry. There’s a story about failing to stay dry that involves embarrassingly flat water and a canoe but I’ll save that for another time. My point is simplicity. The points I make above are entirely true but there’s also another type of simplicity. Simplicity of life.

I’m fortunate enough to be taking a group of graduates on a leadership development course and being out in the wilds of Scotland allows everything to be pared back to what really matters. We’ve literally gone from A to B, put up tents, and cooked dinner. That’s it. But man have we learnt stuff! The facets of leadership have been laid bare so much more clearly than any corporate setting.

It is getting closer to nature but maybe it is more about getting closer to the only things that matter – shelter, fire, food, and the bonds we form with other human beings. I heartily recommend spending a little time just concentrating on the things that keep you alive. Go camping by all means but perhaps just go for a long walk with a packed lunch and just eat when you’re hungry. It’ll make you appreciate the simple things in life.