A real quick under 2 minutes post just to help you understand the impact of simplicity. Here is a famous quote from the late great Steve Jobs….
Often when we think of simple we often associate with easy or straightforward. The shortcut…..
So, with that in mind why is Steve Jobs saying Simple is harder than Complex?
Whilst I definitely have no authority to speak on behalf of SJ, here is what my interpretation is of this conundrum…..
Here is one of my favourite pictures that I often refer to when tasked with a challenge……
This focuses myself not to think about Simple in terms of…..
What is Simple and Easy for ME to get the job done?
But more about…….
How do I make it simple for YOU to understand so you can get the job done?
This relates perfectly to the picture above……
If I take the left hand lane with the crowd and look at what is simple for ME, it almost certainly won’t be the best long term solution.
If I take the right hand lane, the more difficult lonely path of complexity to make it simple for YOU, it is much more likely to take me to the summit of true simplicity.
- Is your default approach to seek simplicity for your or others benefit?
- In short, do you hog the left lane or the right lane?
- How often do you sense check your first solution to a problem to see if it can be enhanced?
- How often do you have to unpick knee jerk solutions that ruin your credibility?
Final thought. Albert Einstein backed up Steve Job’s thinking years before…..
