Simple does it

I burned through a book this past week that needs to be shared. It’s called “Made to Stick” by Dan and Chip Heath. There is much in it that is compiled from other people’s thinking, but the way that they bring it together into a cohesive whole is both useful and illuminating. 

They capture their basic recipe for ideas and messages that are “made to stick” in six principles that form the structure of the book:

S imple
U nexpected
C oncrete
C redible
E motional
S tories

OK, so a bit corny, but each section throws open the windows on why so much we see and hear doesn’t “stick”. From the strategic presentation to the board, to the pitch to the investors, to the entreaty to the staff, to the appeal to donors and the ads to customers. This covers the gamut.

I’m going to focus briefly on their first principle – simple.

This is especially important when developing a driving statement for the organisation. Call it promise, purpose, vision, core, cause or

“Commanders intent” (as they do in the book), the fundamental reason for such a statement is to be umbrella, engine and guide for the organisation it represents.

Sadly they are rarely any of those. Bloated and “commit-teed” to death, most such statements lack the key ingredient the authors espouse.

They are not SIMPLE.

Now simple is not dumb, it is not an appeal to the lowest common denominator. It is clarity and insight into what really matters to you. Into finding your core.

There are a lot of ways to get to this kind of clarity. In a previous blog I talked about using “5 whys”; the book refers to the military approach of reaching the Commanders intent by asking the question “the single most important thing we must do tomorrow is…?”.

Whatever approach you use, chances are that your current guiding statement (whatever label you put on it), is cluttered up with well-meaning adjectives and phrases about the value of your products and services.

Now don’t get me wrong; I love a good adjective as much as the next girl, and at some point you do need to talk about the brass tacks of what you do. This statement just isn’t the place to do it.

A great test of whether your statement measures up? Does it help you decide what NOT to do.

In an example from the book, the authors use Southwest Airlines. Their core is to be “THE low-cost airline”.

Doesn’t sound all that earth shaking – until you see it put in practice. After a customer survey revealed that people would appreciate a more substantial snack on some of the longer routes (as a rule they only offer peanuts), and the idea was floated up the chain of command, the CEO at Southwest asked the question “and will this help us be THE low-cost airline?”

The answer of course was no, and the idea was killed; but here is the rub – it was killed even though the customers said they wanted it. Without the singular clarity of the statement, the decision would probably not have been as obvious.

It doesn’t matter if you are a milk bar or a multi-national, a simple, clear, core statement is invaluable – and never more so than now. If you don’t have one, make it a priority. If you do have one, make sure it tells you what not to do as often as it tells you what to do.

There are plenty of examples around both good and bad, but the best examples are from companies in the trenches, so leave a comment and tell us what yours is.

And for extra credit, here are some related reads around the topic.

Tipping Point and Blink – Malcom Gladwell

Good to Great and Built to Last – Jim Collins

Don’t think of an Elephant and Metaphors We Live By – George Lakoff

See you next week.

Alignment is Michel’s passion. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia, and Brand Alignment Group in the United States, she helps organisations align who they are, with what they do and say to build more authentic and sustainable brands.

To see more Michel Hogan blogs, click here.