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“Be willing to exist in the discomfort and hold multiple answers at once”
“The main thing is to make sure the main thing remains the main thing”
“Complexity requires simplicity”
“Speak to their listening”
“Give up on the knowing”
Watermark Search - Interim Executive hosted a webinar with return guest speaker, author and thought leader, Kieran Duck. Kieran did not just talk the talk of complexity in transformation, he walked the walk in this webinar showing firsthand how simplicity is the key to complexity.
As we ramp up for 2023, we are facing so many unknowns. What is clear is that we need to be set up to respond to rapidly changing and emergent situations. But a poorly designed and executed transformation program can amplify uncertainty, waste effort, take longer than needed and negatively impact the staff involved.
In this session, Kieran covered the paradox of complexity and how, as complexity rises, many of the mechanisms that have worked well actually distract from the most important issues and reduce confidence in delivery.
Kieran firstly spoke about the trends driving up levels of complexity, both on a macro level and within an individual’s immediate context, such as:
Inflation, recession, and real wages
Climate change and sustainability
Access to the right staff
Slower decision making
Kieran then spoke about common mistakes we make in complexity:
We get distracted
Bias for action
More data please
Hold the course
He then provided practical advice on what can be done to set up programs for success and improve confidence in delivering those that are underway:
Kieran then left us with five key takeaways of what we can do now to head in the right direction:
Connect with two people outside your immediate groups
Focus on drawing models or building metaphors that capture the complexity
One hour a week, by yourself, with a piece of paper
Ask yourself which constraints are not real
The main thing is to make sure the main thing remains the main thing
To watch the full recording, please see below: