Power of Simplicity

by Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd.
32 1024 4.6/5

There were three friends Tom, Dick and Harry. They lived in same street, identical houses and they all had the same problem. Each wanted to put up shelves in an alcove beside the fireplace. Not so difficult, you might think. But the standard shelves did not fit and this would mean some awkward measuring, cutting and fitting. As you might expect, each chose a different method and that forms the crux of our story.

Tom talked to a relative & her advice was that the measurement was extremely important. This seemed sensible enough to Tom, so he sought out a piece of equipment that would be up to this precise job. After a little effort, he came across Sigma Saws. That had assurance of max. 3 out of every million pieces would be the wrong. This looked perfect and he ordered for it. Dick searched the internet for the solution to his shelf cutting problem. Everyone was blogging about Japanese saws. He was drawn in by the popularity of these saws. He placed order for saw. Sometime later, the three friends were sitting drinking coffee at Harry’s house. The conversation turned, enough to the problem of the shelves. Tom puffed his chest out and stated proudly that he was training to become a master of Sigma Saws. “But where will you put your saw? Those things are huge.” asked Dick. Tom answered, “I am clearing the garage. I never used that place anyway. Before Harry could ask anything else, Dick launched speech about Japanese saws. “Did you know that Japanese saws are not like normal saws? There is a whole art to learn about these saws. I have signed up with a Japanese sensei, who will guide me through the process towards becoming a Japanese saw master. There is so much to learn, that this will take at least 18 months.

Tom and Dick turned to Harry as if to say, “What have you done?” Harry seemed a little sheepish, but said “Oh, I have not tried anything near as complicated as your systems. I remembered that I had a simple tool, called a hand-saw, in my toolbox. I was not sure how to use it or what to do about the shelves, but I found a book that showed me a simple step-wise process. I may not have the precision or the fancy tools, but my shelves are up.

Do you want to see them?”

The three friends went to other room, where, true to his word, Harry had installed the shelves. Tom and Dick inspected, trying to fault it. But the shelves looked good and were obviously strong enough to hold up all the things that Harry had put on them. Harry had solved his problem using a simple tool and a simple step-wise method. He turned to the other two, “I have a few other simple tools in my toolbox and I plan to use them to fix some other problems that I have around the house. Once I do that and move on to more complicated problems, I may need your Sigma Saws or your Japanese implements. But that will be some time in the future.

Lessons Learned

  • Keep things simple – don’t let the method get in the way of making improvements.
  • Never avoid quick wins – Can be easily implemented, cost effective, & easily reversible.
  • Timelines are very important- sometimes project gets out of the hand & it is important to reel it back even it requires stretching ourselves a bit.
  • Always encourage situational leadership.
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21 November 2018 by Dnyanesh Kulkarni
Very well written! Another good example of simple design creating wonders - Apple Inc.
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Dnyanesh.
21 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Simplicity - Good Happens Here!
21 November 2018 by Sachin Agrawal
Well written.
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Sir
21 November 2018 by Nishant Agarwal
Well written, shows beauty of simplicity!
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Nishant
21 November 2018 by Sameer Kinikar
Excellent illustration of a very simple yet powerful thought!
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Sameer
21 November 2018 by Varun Jha
Well written. Keeping things simple is like common sense. Both are not used commonly these days!
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Sir
21 November 2018 by Anupam Garg
Well written
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you sir
21 November 2018 by Gaurav Sinha
It's better to be Harry as have eyes to look on simple solutions - Perfect illustration of simplicity.
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Sir
21 November 2018 by Pankaj Sharma
Very well written-Never avoid quick wins..... Targeting the Right Quick Wins , Small process change, leads to big results.
One way to get an immediate win is to introduce process efficiencies through small process changes.
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you sir
21 November 2018 by Atul Badve
Great, Simplicity!
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Mr Atul
22 November 2018 by Prabhat Pandey
Very well explained the concept of simplicity is the glory of expression !
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you sir
22 November 2018 by Manmohan Tiwari
Simply awesome. loved the concept !
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you
22 November 2018 by Sandeep Sengar
The Lessons of Learning are very usefull
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you Sir
22 November 2018 by Satyendra Singh
Good one ... Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you sir
22 November 2018 by Anurag Saxena
Well written
22 November 2018 by Keshav Mishra
Thank you
22 November 2018 by Priyanka Dangi
Well written!
22 November 2018 by Shiv Charan Prajapati
Very good written story and well explained the simplicity for work execution.
24 November 2018 by Aroop Kumar Chatterjee
Simple though very powerful.