I hear colleagues give voice to varied expressions of the concept: “let’s stay focused on simplicity; let’s keep things simple” in different iterations, from different mouths, many times a week. In isolation, I applaud and encourage the pursuit, but then I end up hearing the following as identifier: “because we over-think things, we over-complicate.”
My alarm antennae go up and start buzzing when I hear this, because instead of pursuit of simplicity for the sake of smart, creative, and effective work, I start to hear the pursuit of simplicity being used as a proxy for ‘short-cut’.
I say this because I know for certain that ‘over-thinking’, and ‘over-complicating’ is NOT a problem plaguing most modern day advertising agencies. Au contraire, I’d suggest there’s a whole lot of under-thinking and under-complicating going on. While I know the pursuit of simplicity is intended to be a good thing, I am wary of its misguided pursuit ending up as the dictionary defines it i.e.: “artlessness of mind”, “weakness of intellect”.
So let’s not go there. Let’s discuss the somewhat oxymoronic path I believe is required to achieve simplicity and harness the wonderfulness within its pursuit.
The Path to Simplicity:
This won’t take me long, because it’s really quite ‘simple’. Millions of dollars are spent every year by advertisers against initiatives that don’t perform. Thousands of product innovations are introduced every year of which the vast majority fail. Hundreds of new businesses are launched every year of which the vast majority fail. I’m not against failure, I embrace it, but not when it happens because of ‘short-cutting’. Every business category today is packed with competitors, packed with dynamics. Every ‘consumer’ out there is motivated by different drives, different needs, different loves, many changed from even yesterday. The world in general needs radically different things: economies are struggling, people are starving, and violence is an ever-present issue. Communications today are so complex that we literally are in an embryonic stage of understanding how to effectively and meaningfully interact with people today. Today is COMPLEX. There is very little danger of over-thinking, or over-complicating in this environment. There is plenty of opportunity to ask more questions, consider more ‘considerately’, take a pause, and yes, also check in with our gut instincts. Under-thinking and under-complicating is not the path to simplicity; that is the path to artlessness of mind and weakness of intellect. Embracing complexity, wading into it bravely and thoughtfully, and applying artfulness and intellect to it, that is in fact the path to simplicity.
The Outcome of Simplicity:
I propose that the outcome of simplicity is the arrival at three things: focus, clarity, and elegance.
Focus: Per above, let’s call it as it is. The world today is COMPLEX. Business today is COMPLEX. People are COMPLEX (always have been). Communications today is COMPLEX. Have you wrapped it all up neatly and uncovered something that is real, true, meaningful and important within this inherently complex environment? If so, you have achieved focus.
Clarity: Have you managed to capture the heart and the essence of that thing you are trying to convey or to do in a succinct, easily understandable way. Can you wrap up the story you want to tell in 30 seconds, in the length of an elevator ride, in such a way that your mother would understand it immediately? If yes, then you’ve achieved clarity.
Elegance: Elegance is where the magic opportunity lies in the pursuit of simplicity. If you’ve found your focus, if you can convey it in an elevator to your mother and have her understanding immediately, you are still only part-way there. Elegance happens when the way you convey it, the how you convey it, brings it to life. When someone hears what you have to say, or sees what you want to do, do their eyes light up? Do they ask how they can be involved? Do they instantly have a million suggestions or ideas to share with you? If so, you have achieved elegance. [If you like the idea of ‘elegance’, I direct you to author Matthew E. May.]
This is a challenge to steer clear of short-cutting, to embrace complexity, to wade into the waters of thoughtfulness.
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