First Principles

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When sportsmen are learning to find their feet again after a long injury, or when they’re struggling with their form and looking to get their performance back on track, the advice they’re given isn’t involved or complex. They’re not told to undergo elaborate programs that will restore their physical and/or psychological state back to their prior peak. 

No, the counsel given to them is simple: go back to basics. Stick to first principles. Focus on the fundamentals. Do these things right and everything else will follow. 

It’s exactly the same in business, whether you’re starting something new or attempting to restore things after a difficult period. 

Clarify your strategy. Streamline what’s on offer. Simplify your message. Make the process easy for your customer. Emphasize high quality execution. Empower your people to do what’s right. 

In other words, stick to the basics, the first principles. 

That belabored marketing campaign? The complex financial engineering? The multi-faceted product strategy? They couldbe helpful, but, more often than not, my sense is that they muddy the waters more than they clear them. 

In times of trouble, it’s about clarity, simplicity, and focus. Don’t try and outsmart yourself or, worse, your customer. Make it easy for them, and yourself. 

Stick to first principles. Get shit done. Get back on track.