Complexity confuses people.
Simplicity generates efficiency.
80/20 Rule wisdom has repeatedly proven its value over time.
The 80/20 Rule tells us that 20% of the work we do delivers 80% of the value we receive for that work. In other words, 20% of our efforts yield 80% of the results we desire.
In no way does the 80/20 Rule try to guide us to work perfection in all areas.
In no way does the 80/20 Rule try to cover all of the various pieces of work we perform.
In no way does the 80/20 Rule try to satisfy 100% of anyone's needs.
In fact, the 80/20 Rule implies the exact opposite.
- It implies simplicity.
- It implies reduction.
- It implies compromise.
In exchange for these ‘limitations’, the 80/20 Rule delivers the benefits of efficient and effective coverage of the processes that deliver 80% of the value we are working to obtain.
When we cover 80% of the value using systematized and simplified processes, such as those governed by the 80/20 Rule, we free up the ability to focus the majority of our time on injecting innovation into processes that require our inter-personal talents, our technical expertise, and significant amounts of our concentration and thought.
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In business we do better when we have simple systems, we know the rules for those systems, and we know when we must break those rules and do different things.
We need to understand human nature: people are very comfortable following the rules they have chosen for themselves; people have more difficulty buying into and following rules created by others. And yes, some people are natural born rule breakers...they are the outwardly defiant, the silent detractors, and the saboteurs.
In reaction to the resistant-to-change realities of the business world, we develop supervisors, managers, coaches, and mentors.