On a recent trip to Philadelphia — a pilgrimage of sorts — I took my children to see the Italian neighbourhoods that shaped my family. What struck me was how little had changed, not just since my childhood, but since my parents’ childhood. Enduring landmarks, rooted in simplicity.

One of those landmarks is John’s Water Ice, serving four flavours of shaved ice in a paper cup since 1945. The same four I remember as a child, and the same four my parents ordered before me: lemon, cherry, chocolate, pineapple. No frills, no service, no seating, nothing better on a hot day in the city.

Many of the organisations I work with wrestle with the opposite problem — too much complexity, too many competing priorities, too many workarounds,  exceptions made in the spirit of political compromise – not customer centrality.  My role is to help leaders cut through the noise — focusing on the handful of choices that will have the greatest impact and endure over time.

Some companies, like John’s, have worked this out. Toyota’s platform sharing concept — which I first encountered in business school — is a great example of reducing unnecessary variation while still delivering what matters most to the customer. Google’s original white screen with a single search bar is another. In both cases, simplicity wasn’t an absence of thought; it was the result of deliberate, disciplined design.

That trip to Philly reminded me that the discipline to reduce choice — to focus on what you do best — is both rare and powerful. And like John’s four flavours, it’s often what keeps you in business for decades.