“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
Thomas Jefferson the principal author of the Declaration of Independence said about it, “…not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of…but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take.” Nice leadership lesson.
What jumps out to me in this statement is, “…the common sense of the subject.” It is a leader’s job to tease out the common sense of the subject for their people. If we are to influence people to do things they might otherwise not and to create followers, common sense is king. Simplicity is queen. In my decades of experience, I’ve worked diligently to achieve these two things. Often, I got it right, sometimes I got it wrong.
My mantra as a leader commanding a brigade in the 101st Airborne Division in 2013 was ‘investing in people.’ I knew if we invested in our people, in the toughest of times, they would rise to the occasion and do the right thing. Indeed, I needed to place before my people the common sense of ‘investing in people.’ This concept was not new or never before thought of or practiced but the mantra alone would not suffice. I would practice investing in people through my actions managing my calendar around people-centric activities, maintaining priories around investing in people, and communicating this concept often.
To lay before my people the common sense of the subject I used examples. My brigade was an infantry brigade and one of our most important pieces of equipment (among many) was the M-240 automatic machine gun. This weapon would save the…
