In a recent interview, Former President Barack Obama shared career advice he gives to young people. But it’s also good advice for leaders or anyone looking to achieve success:
“I’ve seen at every level people who are very good at describing problems, people who are very sophisticated at explaining why something went wrong or why something can’t get fixed,” he explained. “But what I’m always looking for is, no matter how small the problem or how big it is, somebody who says, ‘Let me take care of that.'”
Obama’s remarks reminded me of the core message in the famous essay A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard. In the essay, a man named Rowan is asked to carry a written message to a person named Garcia. Rowan put the message in his pouch, set off on foot, and travels over many weeks through the jungle to deliver the message successfully. The person who assigned this task was amazed that Rowan figured out the assignment and completed it without further instruction. Rowan did not ask “Where is Garcia at?” “Why is this important?” “What does the message say?” or anything else. He just GOT IT DONE.
And therein lies the question: Are you a Simplifier or a Complicator?
SIMPLIFIERS:
Proactively solve problems
Take ownership
Act independently to resolve a situation
Focus on results and execution
Take risks and initiative
Provide clarity and focus
COMPLICATORS:
Complain about the problem
Make excuses for why they are unable to fix it
Don’t take action
Read the instruction down to the letter and ask a lot of follow-up questions
Avoid taking risks
Create confusion
By the way, I’m not suggesting that leaders focus solely on execution or completing routine tasks. However, people who focus on simplifying the complex and cutting through the noise often find themselves elevated to leadership positions because they can clearly define an issue and coordinate an effective response. I think Obama would agree!