Golden Oldies: Advice About Advice
by Miki SaxonIt’s amazing to me, but looking back over more than a decade of writing I find posts that still impress, with information that is as useful now as when it was written.
Golden Oldies is a collection of what I consider some of the best posts during that time.
There’s not a lot of commentary to add to this oldie. About the only thing I see changed is that complexity has increased and simplification has fallen further out of favor.
Read other Golden Oldies here
I’m a coach, so I spend a lot of time discussing challenges and situations and then offering ideas, suggestions and, sometimes, specific advice.
I do my best to jar my clients’ thinking, not necessarily to have them follow my lead, but to nudge them out of their comfort zone and into a more creative space.
Basically, I’m a bit lazy in as much as I don’t do any more than is necessary and I avoid complexifying anything.
So when I do offer specific suggestions they’re based on what I consider common sense and are aimed at simplifying whatever is involved.
I often get a ‘wow!’ reaction and lots of excitement.
When asked, I explain the basis of my thinking and suddenly the reaction becomes ‘that’s simple, anyone could think of that’.
It’s a lot like magic tricks. They’re very impressive when you see the magician do them on stage, but when you know how they are done they often become drab and mundane—the magic is gone.
As a result, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut; I don’t add a lot of mystique, because it feels like a con, but I don’t have to say that my mind always goes for the simplest approach possible, because essentially I’m lazy.
So the next time you’re faced with a challenge try looking for the simplest way to solve it and wow those around you with your brilliance.
Image credit: brenbot
