“My topic is extremely nuanced. I can’t simplify it.”
I’ve lost count of how often I’ve heard this. The fear is always a variation of: “If I leave something out, they will make a mistake.”
But the reality is: If you leave everything in, you are paralyzing them.
Yesterday, I wrote about why “Empowerment” often fails: It usually turns into a game of “Guess what I’m thinking.”
When you refuse to simplify, you are doing the exact same thing, just from the opposite end: information overwhelm. Dumping a raw database of facts on your team is like saying, “Here is the complete map of the world. You figure out the path.”
Your team doesn’t need your raw data.
They have data. Plenty.
They need your judgment.
Judgment is the ability to look at 100 nuances and say, “These 97 are true, but irrelevant right now. These 3 are the ones that decide the game.”
Simplification is the courage to share those 3 and put the other 97 in the appendix.
Equipped with these 3, your team can move, ideally making interesting mistakes along the way.
But every time you add a “however…” you dilute the “let’s go.” Every time you add a “just to be safe…” you make them hesitate to make a step.
In other words, lighting the path is not about hiding the 97. It’s about adjusting the spotlight so your team can focus on the 3 and move.
Keep lighting the path,
Michael