Insanely Simply
“Insanely Simple” by Ken Segall
My Summary
When Apple was thriving it was because of its relentless focus on simplicity. This simplicity extended across all facets of the company (sales, product, distribution, etc), and it was championed by Steve Jobs.
You cannot partially adopt simplicity, it must pervade everything. If you need a simple way to remember this book… stay small and avoid doing what big companies do at all costs.
Opening
- We all crave simplicity
Think Brutal
- Be blunt; don’t beat around the bush; avoid the complexity of politics, flattery speech, and half truths
- Be brutally honest, don’t just be brutal
Think Small
- Keep groups and meetings small; anyone non essential should leave; don’t throw more people at problems… just get the right people
- Over analysis and second guessing can stifle a project’s ability to move forward
- A better idea is a better idea; if you stay small, then you can place creativity and new ideas over process
- Simplicity is an all or nothing proposition
- When process is king, then ideas will never be; think of occasions when a solution is staring you in the face, and you say “oh, we couldn’t do that because of the way we work”… this is bad!
- If you’re working simply, then hierarchy and politics are kept at bay
Think Minimal
- Trying to please everyone (with an ad, product, process) is a good way to please no one
- Simplicity from sales pitch, to buying experience, to product/hardware, to software… Apple did it all
- Protect ideas from processes and people who might destroy it
- Simplicity never stands still; it doesn’t need many quarters to make progress; sweet spot is around 3 months
- Find two companies in the same industry, ask them to solve the same problems, see how the focused/simple company gets it done versus the one that it burdened with complexity
- You can’t have simplicity with a fractured, leaderless group; leaders MUST lead; they MUST have a direction
Think Iconic
- Iconic brands don’t tell people about their price, about mega hertz, free this or free that, sometimes they barely mention their product directly; think different; got milk?; just do it
- Apple stood out in its advertising because it kept it simple; “shot on iPhone” or “think different with famous person” followed by “think different with a product image”
Think Phrasal
- Concise, clear, and obvious names aren’t inherently bad; all of Apples product names belong together and can be easily identified
- All of their product names also have something to do with its function
- Be authentic, it is fine to observe competitors, but you don’t need to be them
Think Casual
- Get to the point; no need for fancy slides, tons of pages, just go straight talk
- Less formality, more facts
- Superfluous language can be seen, especially by CEO’s with tons of time, as deceitful — just get to the point
Think Human
- Ideas that try to please everyone are not human — they are stripped of their character and come across as flat
Think Sceptic
- Don’t take no for an answer; “no” usually means that what you want would be difficult to do, not convenient, etc — but not impossible
- Don’t listen to the naysayers and stay true to your inner product/business voice/vision
Think War
- To break through the layer of resistance, when it comes to complexity, use everything you’ve got
- Simplicity must be adopted wholesale and it must win by overwhelming — its doesn’t win by partial victory or small arms fire
Conclusions
- Your first idea will be complex, but if you stick with the problem for awhile and focus on a solution, then you almost always make it more simple (and get to the essence of your solution)
- Simplicity, as powerful as it is, cannot overcome a bad idea — bad ideas are still bad, no matter how simple you make them
- A company’s brand works like a bank account; wins are deposits, blunders are withdrawals; as long as you have a high balance you can withstand a blunder
- Accept mistakes and move forward to investing into the next innovation
- If the final decision maker for a project isn’t in the room until the very end, then that is a bad smell!