The Simple Truth

I was recently talking to a friend who had read Traction, a long time ago, so he asked me to provide a quick recap to refresh his memory. As I provided the highlight reel of this operating system widely used by organizations of all shapes and sizes to articulate direction and accountability, he began to nod and then said, “Yeahhhhh...I remember now. It all just seemed so...simple.” Skepticism crept across his face.

Simple? It was not the reaction I was expecting, but it got me thinking: What’s wrong with simple? And how many other leaders out there have had a similar reaction? I’ll never know the answer to that, but let me shed some clarity on the concept of simple:

1. Don’t confuse simple with simplistic. Something that is simple is clean, not overdone, straightforward...clear. It is readily understood. Something that is simplistic lacks something important or critical, or isn’t complete. Traction is simple...not simplistic.
2. Simple is effective. Messages and goals that are crisp, succinct, and to the point, can be understood and followed by all. Perhaps it makes some people feel good to see a thick, tabbed binder full of “strategy,” but chances are it will be a better dust collector than a guiding force for your organization.
3. Being simple does not mean it isn’t complex. An iPhone is simple to use, but complex in its engineering. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into building out and following the six key components of the Traction process. But if you can’t take all that work and explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough (and neither will anyone else). I borrowed that last line from Albert Einstein, by the way...he’s a smart dude.

The art of simplicity is anything but simple. But our job as leaders is to communicate a course for our teams clearly and articulately. So if that makes Traction simple, so be it.


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