K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Stupid)

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I remember first hearing the expression back when I was a kid. Over and over again it's become one of the key ingredients so many of us keep missing in our business lives. We turn simple tasks into major, often gut-wrenching projects, instead of looking for the simplest solutions.

This is a rant today and here's what got me going...

We flew into Cincinnati Airport yesterday and went to get into a taxi headed for the hotel for PhotoPro Expo. It's not rocket science - you get your bags, walk out the door and get into a car that's all yellow. Well, not in Cincy!

We weren't allowed to get into the cab until we had "ordered" the cab at the desk, inside baggage claim. There were eight people in line ahead of me and the two guys at the front of the line were also ordering another cab for later in the day. There was only one women working the counter and three empty cabs outside.

"Can't I just get into a cab?" I yelled.

"Not without going through me first!" she replied.

So we waited for ten minutes and moved up through the line at which time the other clerk working the counter finally decided to chip in and suddenly we had two lines to choose from. I paid for the cab in advance, although I found out later I could have done cash with the driver. I was given a receipt with a cab number.

Back to the first empty cab, but wait a minute...my receipt was for cab 159 and he was 106...so we had to wait for another four cabs until our guy appeared.

Here's my point - the crew in Cincinnati has taken a simple concept and turned it into a stress-producing experience for absolutely no reason. TSA and the airlines do enough of that without a cab company adding to the challenges. However, they did provide some great material for a blog post, because it got me thinking about things you do in your own business.

Take some time this week and just look at your workflow and each process you have in place for the various steps of your business. Do they all make sense?

Odds are there's something you're doing that's management by the exception. You're doing it because you got burned once and swore you'd never have that problem again. Most often the issue comes up with those of you who post policies on your website that would scare an IRS auditor. Those policies belong in your contract discussions not on display in the "front window"!

The bottom line is where I started...K.I.S.S.