Made to Stick - Simplicity

So, still reading this book, Made to Stick... The first point is simplicity, which I suppose we could also phrase as k.i.s.s.... keep it simple, stupid. They don't go quite that far but they do say, you need to find the core of your message, the one thing you want to communicate or embody. Not three things... not five things... One thing. They make the analogy to the military and the commander's intent. The commander can give all sorts of instructions and plans to some troops... but they won't work when they come in contact with the enemy, because the unexpected happens. So, there's something called "commander's intent"... something like "capture that hill to protect the flank". That's it... how the troops accomplish that is their business... but that's the core of the orders.

So, find the core of what you are trying to communicate... and then communicate it in a compact message, something along the lines of a proverb. A newspaper in a town in the States has 115% readership... and their motto is "names, names, names". They promote local news and the more news the better. Southwest Airlines is "the LOW cost airline"... whatever it takes to make them the cheapest...

I suppose it's like a mission statement but something more concrete, more impactful... It's a mission statement cut down to the bare bones. Too many words, too many big words, too many "concepts", and the message gets lost. How many of us can share the mission statement of our company or church or organization? Probably not many... It should be something short and pithy, something people remember, that they can turn to as they turn to the north star. Something that gets them re-aligned with the mission... Without having to find a one paragraph mission statement in a manual...

I suppose each of us have a mission statement as well... what are we about in this life? What is our philosophy? Eat Drink and be Merry? Peace Order and Good Government? Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? See, those are all things we remember... So what is ours? What is it that is our north star? So... find the core... and express it in a compact form...