The Veil of Simplicity
Zuhaib Shaikh
Leadership Coach | Executive Coach | ICF Level 2 Certified | PCC Path | Facilitation | Training | Capacity Development | Design Thinking | Going "Inward"
"Keep it simple," I implored. "Why think through all that detail?"
"Keeping stuff simple is not the same as settling for mediocrity," she argued. "Paradoxically, simplicity is only an outcome of accounting for complexity."
"I'm confused," I protested.
"Look at nature. It's all around you. Notice a leaf - so simple and beautiful on the outside and yet it abstracts a universe of complexity and systems within. How about the human hand? Or just your index finger? If that's too deep for you, imagine the complexity at work underneath the touch screen of your phone that allows you to move the world around with your fingertips."
"So what you're saying is - the simplest solution for our people necessitates that we engineer and craft complexity behind the scenes? To make simplicity possible in the first place?"
"Mmhmm," she nodded, a faint air of victory around her. "Otherwise you're cutting corners, settling for easy, and pawning off band-aids."
"Okay," I sighed. "I'll refuel with tea and we'll start over."
Conectando personas y conocimientos para cambios sistémicos. Construcción de Comunidad local y global.
2 年I love this! After reading this, I remembered a quote from Einstein: “Things should be as simple as possible, but not simpler”. Embracing complexity, including “the veil of simplicity” is for me, what Alan Kay calls a powerful idea about this idea: https://www.ted.com/talks/alan_kay_a_powerful_idea_about_ideas
Educational and Space Enabler at Global Schools Forum and Ek Nuqta
2 年woww - love the example of nature - the complexity is revealed gradually over years, only when the way I look at it has changed, yet the simplicity continues to excite energize and awaken me
Leadership | Programme Management | Operational Excellence | Capacity Building | Training & Development | Skills for Empowerment | Social Impact | Education | Communication & Storytelling | Acumen Fellow
2 年Love this
Marketing & Communications Strategy Consultant || Trainer (Marketing Strategy)
2 年wonderful... so wonderful