Why simplicity is harder than it sounds — and more important than ever
June already — and in true British fashion, a week of heavy rain to welcome the summer.
There is always something grounding about a new month, and this one has me thinking about simplicity.
One of my key stakeholders rightly challenged me last week. I had been explaining a new approach we were pivoting to, and in his polite way he said:
Could you please just explain it simply – why we are doing this, what we are doing, and how we are doing it.
It was a fair and important challenge.
Many of us who offer training, coaching, or similar services are deeply embedded in what we do. We are immersed in the research, the language, and the learning of our respective fields every single day.
What I had overlooked is that in doing so, we can inadvertently use language that over-complicates and doesn’t always bring people along on the journey.
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~ Hans Hofmann
Simplicity sounds obvious. Achieving it can be more challenging.
And yet when we do get it right – a clear why, a simple what, a straightforward how – something shifts. We have something to come back to on a busy day or week. Something meaningful to anchor to, both intellectually and emotionally.
When each of us understands not just what is happening but why it matters, there is more meaning, and we start genuinely engaging.
Sharing with clarity is a form of respect. For each other’s time, attention, and ability to make meaning from what we share.
With the year at its halfway point, it feels like a timely moment to ask:
What could you simplify? In how you work, how you communicate, or even how you think about what you’re doing and why.
