El Poder de Lo Simple: Una guía empresarial para eliminar lo absurdo y ser más racional

by Jack Trout

Respire hondo; está a punto de recibir unas de las poquísimas bocanadas de aire fresco que se pueden respirar hoy en día. Trout y Rivkin, y en esta edición internacional, Peralba y González del Río nos presentan algunas recetas simples y sencillas, con la intención de ayudar al lector a pensar en términos más directos y concretos y evitar ese argot pomposo, casi ridículo, que se ha puesto de modaen algunas escuelas de negocios y grandes empresas:

- Luche contra la complejidad: la gente se resiste a lo simple porque le teme
- Abónese a lo simple: la teoría del caos es para los físicos.
- Respete a su gente.

Jack Trout, el conocido autor de cinco best-sellers, es uno de los estrategas mas importantes de nuestros dias; es el responsable de algunas de las ideas mas frescas que se han incorporado al marketing en la ultima decada. Es presidente de Trout & Partners, una red de boutiques de consultoria, con base en Connecticut, EE.UU. y asociados en Europa, Sudamerica y Asia.

Contenido

Introducción

LOS FUNDAMENTOS DE LO SIMPLE
1. Lo simple. Por qué la gente le teme tanto
2. El sentido común. Puede simplificar las cosas
3. El lenguaje complejo. Puede nublar la mente de las personas

EL MANAGEMENT
4. La información. Demasiada puede confundir
5. Los consultores. El origen de muchos sinsabores
6. Los competidores. Piense sencillamente en ellos como el enemigo.
7. La estrategia. Sobre todo es cuestión de diferenciación
8. La orientación al cliente. Se da por supuesto, no diferencia
9. Presupuestos anuales. Una forma simple de maximizar el dinero
10. Los precios. Algunas pautas sencillas para fijarlos correctamente

EL LIDERAZGO
11. Las misiones. Lo único que añaden es confusión
12. El liderazgo. Es cuestión de liderar el ataque
13. La planificación a largo plazo. Sólo buenos deseos
14. Organización. Cuánto más simple mejor
15. Marketing. Es cuestión de convertir ideas simples en estrategia
16. Las nuevas ideas. Es más simple tomarlas prestadas
17. Metas. Suenan bien, pero ayudan poco
18. El crecimiento. Puede ser malo para su negocio

LA GENTE
19. Motivación. El esfuerzo solo no es la respuesta
20. La auto-mejora. Es el traje nuevo del emperador
21. El éxito. Se trata de encontrar un tren a que subirse
22. La crítica. Ser simple no será fácil

EN CONCLUSIÖN
23. Lo simple. Su poder sigue vivo

Índice

Genres: Business, Management, Nonfiction, Self Help, Leadership, Personal Development, Psychology

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

John Francis "Jack" Trout was an American advertising executive and an owner of Trout & Partners, a consulting firm. He was the founder and pioneer of positioning theory and also marketing warfare theory.

Reviews

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding book to help reduce complex issues into simple issues that can be resolved.

Some key takeaways:

1. Don't let planning get in the way of doing

2. To simplify your thinking, you have to stay close to reality

3. Eliminate unnecessary meetings

4. Publicly praise people who are honest with you and push back with great questions and solutions

5. Simplicity requires that you narrow the options and return to a single path

6. Recognize windows of opportunity and pursue them aggressively

I have always admired people who can quickly focus on the most important item and reduce complexity to clear, easy to understand action steps.

Strongly recommend!

[Todd Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors are correct that simplicity is powerful. Read the title, blaze through 50 pages, and you’ll get the point.

[TarasProkopyuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Автор отлично раскрывает тему как самые сложные решения всё больше усложняют жизнь человека и приводит целый ряд примеров простых и очень эффективных решений. Он учить делать сложное легким и понятным и при этом добываться значительных результатов. Автор приводит много сравнений типичных ошибок сложного и непонятного.
Данная книга обязательна к прочтению всем кто хочет сделать свою жизнь и жизнь других людей проще и эффективнее.

[Dmitry · Rating 5 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

Книга состоит из двух составляющих. Первая, это идея важности стремления к простоте, как в бизнесе, так и в жизни в целом. Вторая, это, по существу, повтор идей, что были высказаны в других книгах автора, с тем условием, что в данном случаи автор попытался поместить эти идею в контекст «силы простоты».
Что касается первой составляющей, то у автора получилось это великолепно. Траут сумел настолько просто, но в тоже время ярко и аргументированно описать проблему излишней усложнённости, что уже одно это выводит книгу в лидеры среди нехудожественной литературы. Нужно отметить, что у Траута очень хорошо развита способность показывать суть проблемы, и он делает это настолько хорошо, что непременно хочется согласиться с ним. Действительно, многие люди из мира бизнеса искусственно усложняют материал только для того, чтобы: 1. никто ничего не понял, а если и понял, то всегда бы терзался бы мыслью, «А правильно ли я понял?» и 2. тем самым как бы дают понять, что материал серьёзный и для его понимания требуется высокий уровень образования. Хотя на самом деле, всё можно было изложить во много раз проще и понятней. Но, и тут я полностью согласен с Траутом, тогда окажется, что «король-то, голый!». Излишнее усложнение, которое вредит всем, как показал кризис 2008 года, может стоить всему миру довольно много. Ибо те самые ценные бумаги, которые стали причиной финансового кризиса 2008 года, были именно что сложно понимаемым явлением (сложность этих ценных бумаг была хорошо описана в одной из самых известных книг на тему кризиса 2008 года «Игра на понижение»). В общем, первую часть книги было очень приятно читать. Да и то, о чём пишет автор, относится не только к бизнесу, но и к жизни в целом. Так что это один их тех редких случаев, когда книгу можно прочитать даже тем, кто очень далёк от мира маркетинга и менеджмента.
Что касается второй части, то тут идеи, как я сказал выше, были взяты из других книг Траута. Поклонники Траута/Райса, к которым отношусь и я, обнаружат очень мало нового, а скорее даже, вообще ничего. Это проблема всех книг Траута/Райса. Однако учитывая лёгкий стиль автора и небольшой размер книги как таковой, можно подойти к этой проблеме, с точки зрения «освежить прочитанное в прошлом». Разумеется, точного переноса текста из других книг автора здесь нет, так что о точном копировании текста речи не идёт. Просто зная нелюбовь многих любителей бизнес-литературы к повтору одних и тех же идей, я считаю, что предупредить всё же стоит. Я же с удовольствием перечитывал текст, который мне уже давно знаком. К тому же, я посмотрел на те же самые идеи, но с точки зрения идеи «силы простоты». И действительно, та же миссия компании, с таким подходом воспринимается уже совсем иначе. Поэтому, не смотря на такую простую и непримечательную идею, как идея излагать мысли просто и понятно, без какого-либо усложнения, она до сих пор кажется актуальной для многих книг и авторов. А возможно даже ещё более актуальной, чем прежде. Ибо всё усложняющийся мир, оказывает на человека дополнительное влияние, создавая ситуацию, когда приходиться принимать решения быстро и точно, когда требуется выполнять много дел почти что одновременно. Вот в таком мире, написание сложных текстов, будь то нехудожественные книги или книги по MBA, которые являются лидерами в категории ненужного усложнения, лекционные курсы по нейропсихологии и пр., требуют более понятного, простого и чёткого подхода при их создании. Миссия фирмы (если она вообще нужна), должна быть простой, короткой и понятной любому сотруднику фирмы. Т.к. в противном случаи она превратиться в предмет, который никто не будет замечать, не то, что понимать и использовать. Вообще, читая эту книгу, начинаешь понимать как много в сегодняшнем мире наслоений подобного ненужного усложнения. В одном случаи, как я написал выше, это сознательная политика «мутить воду», а в другом.… А, может, и нет тут другого варианта, кроме как навести тумана?
Да, это не типичная книга по маркетингу. Да даже книгой по маркетингу её назвать трудно. Однако это определённо книга по бизнесу, а значит, она имеет полное право войти в мой персональный список лучших книг по маркетингу.

The book has two components. The first is the idea about the importance of simplicity, both in business and in life as a whole. The second is a repetition of the ideas that were expressed in other books of the author, on the condition that in this case, the author tried to put the idea in the context of the power of simplicity.
As for the first component, the author did it perfectly. Jack Trout managed to describe the problem of excessive complexity such easily, but at the same time vividly and reasonably, that just this brings the book to the forefront among non-fiction literature. It should be noted that Trout has a good ability to show the essence of the problem; he does it so well that one would definitely want to agree with him. Indeed, many people from the business world unnecessarily complicate the information only 1. so that no one would understand anything, and even if they did, they would always be worried about the thought, "Did I understand correctly? 2. in order to make it seem that the material is serious and to understand it requires a high level of education. Although, everything could be explained many times simpler and more understandable. But, and here I fully agree with Jack Trout, then it turns out that "the king is naked"! Excessive complication, which hurts everyone, as the crisis of 2008 showed, may cost the whole world quite a lot. For the very securities that caused the financial crisis of 2008, were very difficult to understand (the complexity of these securities was well described in one of the most famous books on the subject of the crisis of 2008, "The Big Short"). In general, the first part of the book was very pleasant to read. And what the author writes about refers not only to business but also to life in general. So, it is one of the rare cases when a book can be read even by people who are far away from the world of marketing and management.
As for the second part of the book, the ideas here, as I said above, were taken from other Jack Trout books. Fans of Jack Trout/Al Ries, to which I also belong, will find not much new, but rather nothing at all. It is a problem with all the books of Jack Trout/Al Ries. However, given the simple style of the author and the small size of the book as such, it is possible to approach this problem from the point of view of "to refresh what was read in the past." Of course, there is no exact transfer of text from other books of the author, so the exact copying of the text is out of the question. Knowing that many fans of business literature do not like the repetition of the same ideas, I think it's necessary to warn. I was glad to reread a text that I've known for a long time. Besides, I looked at the same ideas, but from the point of view of the "power of simplicity" idea. And indeed, the mission of a company, with this approach, is perceived quite differently. Therefore, despite such a simple and unremarkable idea as the idea to present thoughts simply and clearly, without any complication, it still seems to be relevant for many books and authors. Or perhaps even more relevant than before. Because the increasingly complex world has an additional impact on a person, creating a situation where you have to make decisions quickly and accurately when it is necessary to do many things almost simultaneously. In such a world, writing complex texts, whether they are non-fiction books or books on an MBA, which are leaders in the category of unnecessary complexity, lecture courses on neuropsychology, etc., require a more understandable, simple, and clear approach. The mission of the organization should be simple, short, and clear to any employee of the company. Otherwise, it will become a subject that no one will notice. In general, reading this book, you begin to understand how many layers of such an unnecessary complexity in today's world. In one case, as I wrote above, it is a deliberate policy to "muddy water", and in another case, ..... maybe there is no other option but to make a fog?
Yes, this is not a typical book on marketing. It is hard to call it even a marketing book. However, it is definitely a business book, which means it has the right to be included in my personal list of the best marketing books.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

简单的力量

[Alejandro Teruel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totalmente de acuerdo con la reseña de Chris.

De vez en cuando conviene leer un libro sobre tópicos gerenciales irreverente, práctico y sarcástico como éste de Trout o como, digamos la ácida tira cómica Dilbert de Scott Adams, sobre todo cuando uno empieza a preguntarse qué es lo que aporta de nuevo la más reciente moda y/o terminología del área. Constituyen un respiro, una bocanada de aire fresco, un descanso antes de volver al trabajo.

El libro está organizado en cinco partes. En la primera parte se hace una defensa de la simplicidad y el sentido común y se ataca la complejidad innecesaria. La segunda y tercera parte tratan sobre "el management" y "el liderazgo", pero la separación entre las partes es bastante arbitario. Se centra en temas de alta gerencia como el liderazgo, la planificación estratégica y el mercadeo. La cuarta parte la dedica mayormente al tema de la motivación de los empleados. En la quinta parte, que consta de un único capítulo nos presentan una breve descripción, en un parráfo cada uno, de negocios que los autores consideran que han sabido aprovechar "el poder de lo simple": Benetton, Palm Pilot, Trenes Talgo, Southwest Airlines, Chupa Chups, Compudata (Multiscan Corp) y Papa John´s Pizza.

La mayor parte de los 23 breves capítulos siguen el mismo esquema: se someten al escarnio público algunos desventurados ejemplos de complejidad que los autores consideran innecesaria, se hace gala del sentido común para proponer la esencia del tema y se salpica al texto liberalmente de micro-ejemplos y breves pero memorables citas.

Resultan particularmente amenos los capítulos donde la crítica tiene más elementos en que sustentarse, por ejemplo El lenguaje complejo, Los consultores, Las metas y La auto-mejora. En cambio, el peor capítulo del libro tiene que ser el penúltimo (La crítica), en el que los autores proponen defenderse de sus críticos escudándose tras un puñado de citas escogidas a la carrera y que no resisten mucho análisis. Así, después de habernos recordado que la teoría del caos es para los físicos y no los gerentes, se citan a dos físicos, Edward Teller y, por supuesto, Albert Einstein como testigos de caracter a favor de la simplicidad...

En su afán reductor, por desgracia los autores caen con frecuencia en la sobresimplificación. De allí que estoy muy de acuerdo con los reseñadores que advierten que el lector requiere experiencia y sentido crítico para evitar descartar algunas ideas que pueden que no sean tan simples, pero tampoco por ello son desacertadas y para ubicar aquellas ideas sobre las que vale la pena reflexionar.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this pass by on my feed and found it on Open Library, so took it for a test drive. For some reason, the scanned PDF rendered fine on my computer but not on either of my tablet ADE readers, so I also got the epub OCR version to make notes on.

BLUF* Quick read; not much new. Bashes other gurus; that’s a little new. Still, there is something here for probably anyone. And yet ...

Trout held to his theme for 25 pages and then abandoned it to a mire of non-simplicity. For the majority of this book, Trout’s message is lost in his own buzzwords, anecdotes (lots of anecdotes), meandering attempts to “simplify” management and leadership. Read it for yourself and see.

There were ambiguities in his positions. One example: He seems to concur with a Time magazine commentary on a Covey book (“His genius is for complicating the obvious, and as a result his books are graphically chaotic. Charts and diagrams bulge from the page. Sidebars and boxes chop the chapters into bite-size morsels. The prose buzzes with the cant phrases - empower, modeling, bonding, agent of change - without which his books would deflate like a blown tire. He uses more exclamation points than Gidget.”) and yet lauds Covey later in the book. (He loves Papa John’s founder, Schnatter, and there’s a piece of work who needs to just be gone...)

Anyway, takeaways for me are few but I will be fair and call out some of my highlighted notes.

Good writing advice (before he branched away from his own advice on simplicity), relating to the Gunning Fog Index, that I try to follow when writing for an unknown audience (oh, I can surely word up my writing when the audience is known!):
1. Keep sentences short.
2. Pick the simple word over the complex word.
3. Choose the familiar word.
4. Avoid unnecessary words.
5. Put action into your verbs.
6. Write like you talk.
7. Use terms your readers can picture.
8. Tie in with your reader’s experience. (The essence of positioning.)
9. Make full use of variety.
10. Write to express, not impress.

I will add, with respect to #6 on that list, do NOT use local vernacular! “Youse”, “yins”, and the southern contraction for “all of you” have no place in writing.

On email, I definitely try to follow this:
“Decide whether you’ll actually open and read e-mail by what’s in the header. Scan by sender and subject. Give messages from your clients and the boss priority.”

A quote attributed to Disraeli (I did confirm it, but haven’t tracked down the earlier attribution of Byron’s notes on his poem “Childe Harold's Pilgrimage”:
“How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.”

*Bottom Line Up Front

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks "simply" about how to manage a business, from issues such as management, leadership, marketing, goals, and other business principles.

I think it oversimplifies things and as a result the message is lost and unclear and doesn't translate well into reality and actions. On the other hand, it does have some good generalizations and puts things in a more approachable way. I didn't like how they demean complex analysis and strategic thinking modules that give explanation and clarity to various business phenomenons (like the consulting matrices and ideas)

This book is good for the managers who are overwhelmed with doing their job and the complexities of the business world. It is aimed at them to think clearer and focus on results rather than on fads, which is sound advice.

However for the new professional or entrepreneur, this advice sounds a little hollow as simplicity can be viewed as a fad and doesn't translate well to practical tasks and actions to implement as much as some other books

[Rushina Ansari · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is amazing how this book still makes sense in the communication market place after all these years. Timeless ideas.

[Нестор · Rating 5 out of 5]

Традиционно полезная книга от Джека Траута.

[Kevin Demel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good book with some ideas about why keeping things simple or making things simple can lead to a lot of success.

[Andrea Aburto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que es muy fácil entender el punto general en los primeros capítulos, la simplicidad. Me gustaron los ejemplos y creo que todas las empresas en algún punto pueden identificarse. Recomiendo leerlo, es corto y es un buen recordatorio del sentido común que a veces se olvida en el mundo laboral y en la vida.

Me quedo con: Pasar de lo complejo a lo simple es el verdadero reto.

- Fácil Lectura
- Sin necesidades de conocimientos especializados
- Motivación Ish
- Para todos los miembros de una empresa
- Incluye invitaciones a leer otros libros
- Algunos ejemplos que no conocía
- Aplicabilidad: Si, me dió otro enfoque.
- Ideas Repetitivas, si lees las notas finales y tres capítulos ya entendiste el libro.

[Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

'La sencillez es la suprema sofisticación', decía Leonardo Da Vinci. Y es que hay que saber mucho para ser sencillo. Es una defensa de la fórmula KISS: Keep it simple, stupid. A menudo complicamos la vida a los demás y nos complicamos la vida a nosotros mismos. Ya decía Andy Grove, Presidente de Intel, que "hay muchos traficantes de confusión".

Más información y reseña: http://ow.ly/1VUI30hiMXm

[Yetkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book on simplicity, not.

[Juan Ventosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, as the title, and plenty of obsolete references

[Cristian Parra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buen libro. Lastima lo viejito ya, de finales de los años 90. Recomendado para los empresarios y nuevos emprendedores.

[Ambarish Ramasubramanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all about simplicity. The book gives examples of various entities and how successful they are because of their simplicity. Simple to read too.

[Diego Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó es un ensayo que intenta recopilar, como campañas simples afectan a grandes empresas, y como no son necesarios grandes movimientos, como una acción pequeña puede tener gran impacto

[Arif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ide kesederhanaan untuk seluruh aspek dalam perusahaan: manajemen, kepemimpinan, dan isu manusia lainnya. Dalam ketiga topik itulah, secara sederhana, penulis mengkuliti berbagai aspek manajemen dan bisnis yang selama ini tidak sederhana seharusnya bisa disederhanakan. Sederhana. Tapi saya rasa mengena!

[Jason Irmjer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read. I like the simplicity of the book, pun intended. Good perspective on how good business is simple business.

[Arti · Rating 3 out of 5]

No new ideas... reinforces the basic concept of keeping it simple - focusing on essentials and avoiding the trap of relying on complexity to mask our ignorance or hedging our bets... complexity simply clouds our minds... and we should trust our common sense as it always tells us what to do!

The book takes a look at the basic business practices that are endlessly debated and argued over - from big leadership issues like mission statements, long-term planning, strategy, goals, budgets, organisation structures, new idea generation to everyday operational problems like marketing, growth, competitors, pricing etc. - and attempts to define the real need and offers suggestions on how to cut thru the nonsense and get it right.

Most suggestions are self-evident - for example, focus on building market share (and number will come), its all about differentiation, put your money where future opportunities lie (and not where they were), make plans based on reality and not wishful thinking, drive execution thru focus, build a culture of working smarter (and not harder) etc., etc. - and yet most of us are guilty of continuously ignoring the obvious!

The author says 'Keep it simple and good things will happen...'

I wish it were that simple(!) - it never is.

But, as an ardent believer of simplicity I know that small changes can make life simpler and business more effective. The shift is to move from quantity to QUALITY, from activity to RESULTS and from management to OWNERSHIP.

[Noorlia Aisya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yesterday I borrowed this book from library and I wondered why such a good book waiting for about three years to be found. If you asked me what this book is all about, it’s all about management. Not the theory one with lot of perplexity and preaching, well, the writer itself hate it. The book consist of four part, The Basics of Simplicity, Management Issues, Leadership Issues, and last but not least, People Issues. Every chapter presented in simple straightforward explanation, only about six to eight pages. Jack Trout has a good sense of humor and little bit cynical though.

[lynne fireheart]

Bought and tried to read this during my last few years at work, seeing as actually (tried to) believe in the cause... This so appealed to me, seeing how everyone likes to hide how much they don’t know my making long and complicated presentations, for example. But I very quickly got reminded that there was only so much cutting through of bulls**t I could do by myself when the rest of the system is totally corrupted.

[Gunjan Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply loved the book!!
Jack Trout actually has simplified so many concepts complex language, Michael Porter's 5 forces, Strategy, Mission Statements and all the self help and motivational books.
Throughout this book he talks about that how people tend to complex the issues and then find more complex solutions when the same problem can be dealt with simplicity.
My suggestion this book is a must read!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trout critica todas las estrategias y conceptos usados por los demás consultores. Las ideas simples y exitosas son las recomendadas en sus trabajos de consultoría y en los libros que ha publicado, los cuales promueve activamente.
Sin embargo, el capítulo sobre liderazgo me pareció atinado y deja clara la clave para ser buen lider. Igual el capítulo sobre tomar prestadas las ideas y convertirlas en algo nuevo. Me gustó.

[Irfin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku ini menjelaskan dan mencontohkan manfaat simplicity di dalam menjalankan dan membuat keputusan bisnis. Buku ini mengajak pembaca untuk kembali ke inti permasalahan, menjernihkan visi, menyederhanakan proses, sebagai kontras terhadap berbagai teori dan program2x rumit yang ditawarkan oleh para konsultan bisnis.

[R.cojocaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Jack Trout's books about marketing strategy, but this not the best in my opinion. The main idea is to focus on your differentiation and to be first. I didn't find some really new ideas for me.

[Alfredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente libro, que nos enseña como simplificar, como grandes empresarios lograron llevar al éxito sus negocios simplificando, habla sobre la clásica misión en las empresas y como afecta está a la productividad, toma temas interesantes del mundo de los negocios, lo recomiendo ampliamente.

[Henry Manampiring · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books that changed my life. Keep things simple and be cautious of those who try to look smart through deliberate complication (consultants included!)

[Macoreyes]

Eduardo Castro-Wright