Simply Brilliant: The Competitive Advantage of Common Sense [Paperback]

You may have come across the expression 'it's not rocket science'. Launching, flying and returning the space shuttle is rocket science, and requires the application of complex scientific thought. But most of us aren't flight directors at NASA and the things we do aren't rocket science. Too often, we look for complex solutions when simpler ones would be more appropriate, easier to find and simpler to implement.

This gem of a book is the perfect antidote to the endless tomes about how to leverage your core competencies and think "outside the box". Instead, it advises you to look for simple problems, simple solutions and direct approaches. If there's a philosophy here, it's this: be nice to people you work with, and try to see problems from their point of view. O'Connell, who also wrote the classic business guide The Silver Bullet, has a wonderfully dry sense of humour, and pokes fun at any reader who dares to take themselves too seriously. A series of questionnaires are designed to reveal how able you are to see simple solutions to business scenarios, from a drop in customer satisfaction to overdue projects.

This is a manual of sorts: covering how to plan, how to prioritise, how to see projects through, how to remember the customer's needs. This is simple stuff, simply written. But don't underestimate Simply Brilliant's value--much of this stuff is forgotten in the rush of everyday business. As O'Connell says--the thing about common sense is that it isn't all that common in reality. --Sally Whittle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reviews of third edition

Fergus O'Connell is a smart man... A book by Fergus which promises to show me how to do it all and still have a life is therefore one of the easier purchasing decisions I've had to make. - Belfast Newsletter, 4 November 2008 (readership: 135,000)

Reviews of first edition

Shortlisted in the business book category of WHSmith’s Book Awards 2002.

"For a change this guide tears down management as a complex science, reducing it to life saving basics. This book does a good job - it may just help to simplify your working life." Evening Standard, London

"This gem of a book is the perfect antidote to the endless tomes about how to leverage your core competencies and think "outside the box"...This is simple stuff, simply written. But don't underestimate Simply Brilliant's value"
Amazon.co.uk official review

"Just when we feel we can no longer cope with it all, someone writes a book that offers salvation ... Simply Brilliant is brilliantly simple - so much so that I may start coming to work again to get things done."
Financial Times  

".A welcome relief for anyone who is struggling to come to terms with the latest fad from the Harvard Business School.”
The Sunday Times - Book of the Week

It is always good to find a book that does what it says in the title, and Simply Brilliant is one of these. Since the first edition, this book has been a permanent reference and is now a recommended read for all staff members. 

Noel Kelly FRSA

Chief Executive Officer / Director - Visual Artists Ireland

Simply Brilliant is packed with great advice and telling anecdotes. It’s a must read for anyone who wants to simplify their life and get more done! And don't we all!

Warick White, Managing Director of Coca Cola Australia/ New Zealand

Fergus's ability to cut through the jargon and get to the heart of the matter is unparalleled.  He has once again turned the complex into the simplex and in doing so making his hard won experience accessible to all.

He is Simply Brilliant!

Mike Nelles

Nelles & Associates Pty Ltd

Simply Brilliant is a great book and is proof that Brilliant ideas don’t have to be complicated. Fergus is an expert in getting things done and his rules to common sense are simple and effective!

Raomal Perera, Entrepreneur and Visiting Professor, Entrepreneurial Studies at Insead Business School