Simplicity is arguably the most potent weapon in business - attracting customers, motivating employees, helping companies to outthink competitors, and creating new efficiencies. Yet rarely is it as simple as it looks.
Ken Segall's first book, Insanely Simple, was based on observations gained from 12 years working as Steve Jobs' advertising agency creative director, first with NeXT and then with Apple. He saw firsthand that Jobs looked at everything through the lens of simplicity. His obsession with simplicity was visible not just in Apple's products. You could see it in the way the company was organized and how it innovated, advertised, sold at retail, and provided customer service.
In practice simplicity was Jobs' most powerful business weapon. It helped Apple distinguish its products and create entirely new product categories, and it put distance between Apple and its competitors. But while Apple is a terrific example of a company that has been propelled by the power of simplicity, it is hardly alone.
Inspired by the ways Apple has benefited from the power of simplicity, Segall set out to find other companies that were traveling this path. He wanted to learn more about the thinking of their leaders. He felt that if he could chronicle the experiences of those who have successfully simplified, it would be an invaluable guide for everyone who would like to do the same.
This book is the result of his journey into simplicity in companies around the world.
Many of the "heroes of simplicity" profiled in this book are probably not on your list of usual suspects. Segall had conversations with over 40 men and women from a wide range of industries, in companies big and small, established and up and coming, famous and below the radar.