Less Is Often More

Less is often more: clarity beats cleverness.

A practical reminder that clarity beats cleverness

“If it takes a rocket scientist to follow you, you built the wrong rocket.” — Eric Wiley

Complexity looks smart. Simplicity scales.

Simpler ideas travel farther. When your strategy is clear enough to repeat in the hallway and act on the same afternoon, more people can own it—and results show up faster.

If your team needs a decoder ring to track goals or metrics, you’ve created drag. Clear the noise. Keep the main thing the main thing, and let the details sort themselves out at the edge.

Make it simple enough to own

• One-sentence direction. Boil the initiative down to a single, testable statement anyone can repeat.
• Three numbers that matter. Pick the fewest metrics that tell the truth. If a number doesn’t change behavior, it’s decoration.
• Plain language beats insider speak. No jargon. If a new hire can’t explain it by Friday, it’s too complex.
• Give the why, not the recipe. Define the outcome and guardrails. Let the team design the method.
• Short feedback loops. Weekly downloads over daily drive‑bys. Alignment without micromanagement.

The S I M P L E moves

• S — Strip the noise: remove nice‑to‑haves that blur the target.
• I — Intent in one line: write the purpose as a sentence you’d text.
• M — Metrics that matter: 3–5 leading/lagging indicators, max.
• P — Plain language: terms a customer would understand.
• L — Lightweight playbook: one‑page checklist with decision rights.
• E — Execution rhythm: a steady cadence for updates, risks, and asks.

A two‑week clarity sprint

Days 1–3: Write the one‑liner, pick the three metrics, publish the guardrails.

Days 4–10: Run the play. Fix what breaks in real time. Capture learning in the one‑page playbook.

Days 11–14: Hold a 15‑minute After‑Action Review. Keep what worked, cut what didn’t, and lock the standard.

Guardrails that keep it simple

• No kitchen‑sink metrics. If everything’s important, nothing is.
• Owner per outcome. One name. Clear decision rights. No committees.
• Default to plain talk. If you can’t explain it on a whiteboard in five minutes, it isn’t ready.

Bottom line

Less is often more. Clarity creates speed, and speed creates results. Give people the target, the few numbers that matter, and room to execute. They’ll carry it farther—and faster—than any complex plan ever will.

— Eric Wiley

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Wiley Performance Advisory
Your Wingman on the Next Big Push.