Book Review: The Power of Simplicity, Jack Trout
Steve Rivkin

chillibreeze writer — Hemant Uchil

Synopsis:

Rapid changes in technology, the ever-increasing speed of communication and the complexity of the global economy are some factors that have created an environment that is clouding people’s minds. These forces compel businesses to turn to consultancies and individuals to seek self-help gurus to guide them in the quest for success. However, these agencies or individuals only complicate matters further most of the time.

Trout & Rivkin propose that the best way to fight increasing complexity is to embrace the mantra of simplicity in our everyday lives. Starting with the benefits of using common sense and simple language, they move on to tackle more complex management related issues. Every complex issue, right from competitor analysis to annual budgeting, is brought down to the bare essentials. Next they discuss leadership related issues like planning, goal setting, and achieving growth and so on. The authors then move on to people related issues, discussing factors that contribute to motivation, success and self-improvement. The book ends with cases of leading businesses that have benefited by using the power of simplicity.

Review:

The header of the book states that it is “A management guide to cutting through the nonsense & doing things right.” A simple summation of what this book is all about. It's antithetical that someone could publish a book on "The Power of Simplicity". It's also says something about the corporate world - everything is always more complicated than it needs to be and things would run much more smoothly if people would keep things simple. In some ways, this is a management version of the Dilbert Principle.

The authors:

Noted business strategist, Jack Trout, and communications consultant, Steve Rivkin, are at their scathing best as they carefully rip apart the complex business practices of businesses the world over. No one is spared in their quest for simplicity. Trout, one of the leading management consultants today, shows little mercy as he dissects the work of leading business consultancies. Complex diagrams on strategy are dismissed with characteristic flourish. It takes five lines in the chapter on strategy to sum up Michael Porters’ entire book on competitive strategy! Trout does not fight shy of complex topics like pricing and budgeting. Each topic is discussed in deserved detail. However the solutions presented by the authors tend to be rather generalized, and sometimes oversimplified. In his defense, Trout does state that the book is meant to be a guide on simplicity and these strategies would have to be suitably adapted for implementation.

The Book:

The book is replete with anecdotes of how leading organizations end up stuck in their own web of complexities. For instance, consider the following lines on Chevrolet’s line extension strategy: “Chevrolet was once the best selling family car. Now a Chevy is a big, small, expensive, cheap, sedan, sports car, van or truck that is outsold by Ford, Honda, Toyota.” By boiling everything down to its essential elements, the authors maintain, managers can ignore new fads and hot consultants and instead focus on the true business at hand.

They cover diverse topics such as marketing, ideation, goal setting, competitors, budgeting, motivation and so on. Each topic is carefully dissected of its complexities and fitted into the framework of common sense and plain language. Each chapter begins with an inspirational epigram by the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Malcolm Forbes, and even Mother Goose, and concludes with a simple one-line summation. For instance, the authors propose that the only way to achieve sustainable growth is to focus on increasing the market share. Wall Street compulsions often lead companies to delivering short-term growth by simply fudging figures and turning a blind eye to the real problem at hand.

Echo of Earlier Works:

One can draw parallels to Trout’s earlier works- “Differentiate or Die”, “Horse Sense”, “Positioning- The battle for the mind.” In fact most of the solutions & recommendations in this book can be directly attributed to these works. The chapter on success talks about riding the right horse. Trout’s solution for over riding complexities of strategy is, you guessed it, “Differentiate!” If you are already familiar with these propositions, the book has little new to offer. For those unfamiliar with Trout, the book serves as an excellent summation of his works.

Dissecting New Age Gurus

The chapter on self-improvement tackles the likes of Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins & Deepak Chopra. The lifestyle and contributions of each of these self-help gurus are discussed in detail. Clearly the authors make no bones of their blatant disregard for the contribution of these new age heroes. If you are a fan of any of the above you might take offense to this book. But apart from the direct personal attacks, the case for simplicity is well presented.

By the end the book almost sounds like a full-fledged battle for Simplicity. Providing the armor and fuel for this battle or argument is the presentation of cases of companies that have successfully espoused the principles of simplicity. The authors preempt criticism, devoting a chapter to arguments for simplicity.
In conclusion, the book is definitely a message well delivered. One appreciates the brutal honesty of the authors, in what appears to be a difficult but not impossible crusade for the cause of Simplicity.

“If you uncluttered your mind, you’ll think more clearly,” states one of the summations. This one certainly helped clear some cobwebs in mine.

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