Most Opportunities to Improve Are Obvious — If You Learn to See
Why the best business improvements are often obvious — and how learning to notice simplicity can unlock clarity, alignment, and momentum.
Most Opportunities to Improve Are Obvious — If You Learn to See
The problems are usually visible. So are their solutions.
But at work, we get pulled into minutiae, politics, drama, self-preservation, and the grind of delivery. Or we use our intelligence to make things far more complicated than they need to be.
No wonder we miss what’s right in front of us
— the obvious solutions.
If we could learn to notice differently, we’d see dozens of simple opportunities to make our organisations (and ourselves) better.
They’re not hidden.
They’re straightforward actions, clear fixes, and obvious paths forward
— but we don’t notice them.
Much of my work as a leadership thinking partner is simply pointing out what’s already visible. The factual, the simple, the plain.
People are often capable of seeing these things, but they lack time, space, and distance from the system to notice them clearly.
This is why external perspectives help.
They disrupt familiarity.
They reframe assumptions.
They surface the obvious.
The path to a better organisation is rarely about clever shortcuts. It’s about learning to notice, to think clearly, and to join the dots across systems.
That’s where the best solutions tend to live
— in the obvious.
Editor's note — where this sits
This essay sits in the Physics layer of the Idea to Value system — the diagnostic system for understanding what sits between an idea and the value it creates. Here, the argument is about what obscures that path: complexity, familiarity, and the habit of mistaking sophistication for intelligence. The obvious solution is usually already visible. The work is learning to see it.
The Idea to Value system — five layers
The Obvious Often Feels Too Simple
Many people dismiss obvious solutions.
“If it’s so obvious, it can’t be right.”
“That’s too simple — it must be more sophisticated.”
"Simple solutions lack intelligence."
So we take detours.
We add layers.
We introduce frameworks, governance, tooling, and complexity.
We turn simple problems into intricate systems that are hard to explain and even harder to change.
As the book Obvious Adams puts it,
“The obvious is so simple and commonplace that it has no appeal to the imagination.”
So we reject it.
We pursue complexity instead.
Our intelligence often blinds us.
We over-engineer answers and rationalise complexity as sophistication.
In doing so, we reject solutions that are already workable, understandable, and implementable.
The truth is simpler:
the obvious usually works.
Five Tests for the Obvious
Paraphrased and repurposed from : Obvious Adams
1. The Solution Will Feel Simple
When you reach the right answer, it often feels embarrassingly straightforward.
If your solution is complicated, layered, or impossible to explain succinctly, it’s probably not the obvious one.
The right solution often fits on a small diagram, a single page, or a short explanation.
If it’s simple and it works — run with it.
2. Does It Align with Human Nature?
Can you explain it to a child, a colleague, or a non-expert?
If you feel awkward explaining it, or can’t answer basic questions about it, it’s likely not solving the problem clearly.
Obvious solutions are understandable across the organisation, and therefore actionable.
Clarity enables alignment.
Alignment enables momentum.
Momentum produces value.
3. Put It on Paper
Write it. Draw it. Map it.
Visualising an idea forces clarity.
Complexity becomes visible.
Gaps and inconsistencies surface.
Over-engineering reveals itself.
In my “Problems from a Vending Machine” workshop, participants compress problems and solutions into a tiny physical artefact.
The constraint forces simplicity.
Complexity simply doesn’t fit.
Writing and drawing are not administrative tasks.
They are thinking tools.
4. Does It Trigger the “Why Didn’t We See That?” Reaction?
When you share an obvious solution, people often feel a mix of delight and mild frustration that they didn’t spot it earlier.
Obvious ideas are memorable.
They travel quickly.
They energise teams.
Long explanations rarely mobilise action.
Clear, crisp insights do.
5. Is the Timing Right?
Even obvious solutions depend on timing.
Sometimes the organisation isn’t ready.
Sometimes the market has moved.
Sometimes the problem has changed.
Simplicity still requires context.
Quick reference — the five tests
The physicsFive tests for the obvious solution
When you think you've found the answer, run it through these. The obvious usually passes all five.
01
Does it feel simple?
The right answer often feels embarrassingly straightforward. If it's complicated and layered, it's probably not the obvious one.
02
Does it align with human nature?
Can you explain it to a non-expert? If you feel awkward explaining it, it's likely not solving the problem clearly.
03
Can you put it on paper?
Write it. Draw it. Map it. Visualising forces clarity — complexity becomes visible and over-engineering reveals itself.
04
Does it trigger "why didn't we see that?"
Obvious ideas are memorable and travel quickly. If people feel mild frustration at not spotting it sooner, you're on the right track.
05
Is the timing right?
Even obvious solutions depend on context. Sometimes the organisation isn't ready, the market has moved, or the problem has changed. Simplicity still requires situational awareness.
The Power of the Obvious
You don’t need to overthink this.
Complexity creates friction.
Simplicity creates movement.
Obvious doesn’t mean trivial.
It means practical, understandable, and implementable.
It means people can grasp the idea, align around it, and act.
The best solutions often look simple
— because they are the result of deep thinking, careful pruning, and deliberate restraint.
From the Cultivated library
Idea to Value System
Guidebook + video series · Digital
The diagnostic system for understanding what sits between an idea and the value it creates — and what obscures the path that is usually already visible.
From £19.99
Explore the system →Workshops & Keynotes
In-person or virtual · Bespoke
An external perspective disrupts familiarity, reframes assumptions, and surfaces what is already visible. This is the work — in your organisation, with your people.
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Start the conversation →Further reading
Obvious Adams
A short, sharp book on the power of the obvious in business — the source of the observation this essay draws on, and worth reading for the clarity of its argument alone.
View on Amazon →
