Simplify the Problem

Below is an except from my book, “Reflections on Leadership.”

“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.”

Colin Powell

Einstein said that if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. Both of these men are known for understanding complex situations, one in the field of science, the other in the austere field of combat.

Powell had to deal with hierarchy. In his world, his vision had to be filtered down through each level of the hierarchy. It’s like the telephone game. If the vision is not easy to explain by the time it gets down to the field level, the vision is describing nothing Powell could have envisioned.

Your brain has two jobs: to keep you alive and to conserve energy. If something is not going to keep you alive, your brain starts conserving energy. Have you ever noticed that when you are listening to a presentation that is not engaging or anything you’re interested in that you start getting drowsy? Your brain has decided that the information is not going to keep you alive in some way (entertaining, useful information, etc.), and it needs to start conserving energy, so it starts the process of shutting you down.

If you cannot make your communications to your followers entertaining, then at least make them short so you keep their brain from tuning you out.

Creativity is important. I want my followers to think, and I want them to think the weird outrageous scenarios, so I listen to their scenarios and I usually ask some clarifying questions, like “how” and “what.” Do not ask why, because it begs for them to come up with a conclusion. The other danger with “why” is that it is too open-ended and you may end up hearing about the follower’s cousin’s sister’s college roommate, who knew a guy who did a thing. And your brain is going to start shutting you down.

I love the Socratic Method. Asking questions is how I learn things. Answering questions forces me to hone my thoughts. If I ask enough questions, I learn how my followers think and they come to the conclusion on their own.

What I often find with the worst-case scenario is that if you break the problem down to first principles, there is usually a simple solution, and it’s probably one you have used in the past.

I have talked about first principles, the root of the thing, elsewhere in this book. Whatever the thing is, it cannot be made into smaller pieces. If Elon Musk can break rockets into aluminum and carbon fiber, you can break your scenario down into a few words you can convey to your followers.

Showing followers the first principles of the thing at issue usually ends the debate and arguments. It shows all sides that the issue is not as complex as they think it is. It shows the doubters that you have the situation well in hand and that they have been in this very situation before without realizing it.

Action Steps

Elon Musk breaks down First Principles thinking to these three steps.

Step 1: Identify and define your current assumptions.

Step 2: Break down the problem into its fundamental principles.

Step 3: Create new solutions from scratch.

Sit down with something you are struggling with. Start with something small. You are not launching rockets, yet. For example, think about what is keeping you from finishing or starting college. Write down all of your perceived barriers. Your list might include not enough money, not enough time, or not smart enough.

You decide to talk the problem of not enough time. You look at what time you do have. How much time do you spend watching television, or playing video games? What can you do to reduce time spent traveling to college? Is there downtime you can spend studying?

Your solutions to these problems may include setting a timer when you sit down to play games, finding a college with an accelerated or online program; you may find time to study while on the train or bus. I typed and wrote rough drafts of my college papers on my phone, then emailed them to myself. When I found myself waiting in line or with unexpected downtime, I opened my email on my phone and started writing.

If you enjoyed this excerpt check out my book, “Reflections on Leadership.”

https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Leadership-What-Leaders-About-ebook/dp/B08RCVDKCL