THE SIMPLICITY RULE OF STRATEGY
THE SIMPLICITY RULE OF STRATEGY
Grace Krobo-Edusei ‘‘Everything Should Be Made As Simple As Possible, But Not Simpler.’’ -Albert Einstein
The best leaders don’t have the most complex strategies, they have the clearest ones. If your plan requires a long explanation, it’s already failing. Sun Tzu’s warning from The Art of War still rings true: ‘‘Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.’’
Why? Because strategy is only as powerful as your team’s ability to remember, repeat, and act on it. In leadership, this is more than a design principle, it’s a survival skill.
THREE WAYS TO APPLY THE SIMPLICITY RULE
- USE THE 60-SECOND RULE
If you can’t explain your strategy in under a minute, it’s too complex. Albert Einstein said, ‘‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’’ Try summarising your plan to a new team member in one breath. If they can’t repeat it back accurately, refine it until they can.
This isn’t about dumbing things down, it’s about distilling the essence so it can be acted on without hesitation.
Click Here. To see how standout leaders use the Maxwell DISC Assessment to transform teams into self-driven, high-performing powerhouses without constant supervision.
- FOCUS ON 3–5 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Dwight Eisenhower’s wisdom still applies, ‘‘What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.’’ Resist the temptation to chase every opportunity; instead, identify the few strategic levers that will create the biggest impact and remove or delegate everything else.
Clarity accelerates execution, your team’s energy won’t be scattered across low-value activities.
- BUILD A “ONE-SENTENCE STRATEGY”
Chip Heath & Dan Heath, in their book Made to Stick, said, ‘‘If you say three things, you don’t say anything.’’ Your entire strategy should be able to fit into a single, powerful sentence, such as, We will double client retention in 12 months by improving onboarding, increasing engagement touchpoints, and implementing loyalty rewards. A one-sentence strategy serves as a rallying cry, it can be repeated in meetings, used in decision-making, and remembered in moments of pressure.
Click Here. to discover how top leaders craft a one-sentence strategy and use insights from the Maxwell DISC Assessment to align every personality on the team behind it, creating clarity, unity, and unstoppable execution even in high-pressure moments.
WHY SIMPLICITY WINS IN STRATEGY
Complexity often appears intelligent, but it frequently hides confusion. Leaders sometimes overcomplicate their strategies to appear thorough, forgetting that execution depends on clarity.
A simple, well-defined strategy acts as a compass, keeping everyone aligned when pressure mounts or conditions change.
FINAL COACHING TIP
The Simplicity Rule of Strategy isn’t about doing less, it’s about doing better thinking.
When your strategy is simple, it becomes executable. When it’s executable, it becomes repeatable, and when it’s repeatable, it becomes unstoppable.
As a trusted leadership and career coach in Ghana, we utilise The Simplicity Rule of Strategy to help leaders design focused plans that their teams can remember, repeat, and rally behind.
Ready to make strategy effortless and effective? Book a Discovery Call now: https://scheduler.zoom.us/grace-centre-for-growth-excellence/discovery-meeting to experience consistent results.
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References
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Chip Heath & Dan Heath, Made to Stick
