Simply simple

First, I would like to thank my dear friend Eduardo Cardoso, who inspired me to write again. After a first not so glorious attempt made a couple of years ago (the text referred to a previous employer and it was so precise that even not citing any name or reference, the people described on it "gently" asked me to remove it…), I will give a second try. This time, I will not focus on a particular situation, but on general concepts I’ve learnt past all these years, both professionally and personally.

So, back to the subject, which is simply simple for a debut: simplicity. So trivial, that’s almost silly. Yet, it’s far from being a general rule nowadays, particularly when we dig deep inside the reality of corporative world.

What mainly inspired me to write this article today was a video from Simon Sinek, in which he explains how not fearing to be “stupid” can bring its advantages. And since the behavior is far from being the general rule, you’d better make sure to transmit your message on the most straightforward and clear way.

Same thing applies to family life. Want your son to listen to you and follow the rules? Keep it simple and make sure they understand it. Reinforce them in a simple and efficient way. It’s the first step to avoid excuses like “oh, I did not get what you said”, which is a very common defensive argument.

I am not trying to minimize the complexity of the world. Sure, situations are complex, sure interests of people are conflicting, sure there are scenarios that are impossible to predict in simple terms. But that’s where our most valuable tool as rational human beings should be employed: our analysis and synthesis abilities and skills. We might not understand the whole thing, but we are probably able to divide it in smaller chunks, and probably in simpler chunks.

Again, this concept is not rocket science and yet we rather see complexity as general rule during meetings, during interactions. Rule of thumb: break a subject down to the point you can explain with simple words to someone that is not part of your bubble. Try with your father, your mother, your grandmother! If they understand the main concepts and the main challenges, you are on the good way.

And, by the way, simplicity should also be applied to our tools. How do you build a house? Is there a huge house builder machine where you put cement, wood, paint, and windows on one side and get a house on the other side? Or rather you take a hammer and install your floor covering nail by nail? Yes, simplicity is still the best tool, since it permits us to use our creativity, our analytical power in a way more efficient level. That’s why I always tend to be suspicious when miracle black boxes are sold as magical solutions: the brand-new management software, the last generation scheduling tool, the high-end computer. Problems are usually on a much simpler and, hopefully, more comprehensible dimension.

To end this come-back text, I cannot avoid questioning myself the following: if simplicity is the rule, why aren’t we stuck on the stone age? Why do we have computers and cars and telephones, all this high-end technology that would seem impossible to develop some centuries ago? Well, the answer is… a pyramid. How do you go so high in the sky? The answer is: stone by stone, one by one. Each of them is simple, trivial. But together, they form a piece of work we still do not fully understand how it was constructed… even after 4600 years. Just simple stone blocks. Simpler, impossible.