Motivational Keynote Speaker on Seeking Simple

Posted by Vince Poscente on Fri, Jun 15, 2012 @ 11:57 AM

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if an algorithm could be the single answer to your problems? Examples include, Moneyball, a story about simplifying the make up of a championship baseball contender.

Or Match.com with its slogan, “Love is complicated. Match.com is simple.” Yet, the path to seeking simple is rarely a straight line of data.  

Proponents like Marianne Williamson espouse a simple algorithm - love or fear.

Companies like Buxton Customer Analytics have a warehouse full of servers designed to meet most any request for target marketing. Buxton knows their algorithms alone are only part of the solution. They add consultants to the mix for the human perspective. Time and again, the human element, the x-factor of intuition, insight or experience adds a dimension to quality decision making.

A recently divorced buddy in Austin looked at online dating algorithms as, “The greatest invention ever!” He had every intention of seeking simple.

“Why wouldn’t you?” he queries. “Old school dating is completely hit and miss. But put numbers in your favor. First use the algorithm. Then use your gut. Go on seven dates a week. It’s like test-driving all the cars on the same lot. You’re bound to find one you like. It’s a numbers game. A simple time saver. Something that would have taken you months or years to do can be done in less than a month.”

As appealing as the data and the logic dictates, it still doesn’t replace the human element. Old school match making services across the land still have a matron of connections matching people she believes will resonate with each other. An intuitive clearing-house of seeking simple.

Should you be struggling with a problem, the combination of data and human instinct is the best path. But certainly not guaranteed. Just ask the folks at Research in Motion. The makers of Blackberry have lost 75% revenue in the last year. With all those smart people and such a dominant grip on market share, all the data and executive insight didn’t stop the tidal wave of shifting market conditions.

Are you seeking simple? Maybe its as easy as choosing between love or fear. Maybe it’s an impossible notion, where nothing is easy. But overcomplicating your decisions can leave your feet in quick drying cement.

Like a pendulum, swing past your objective while keeping your eye on it. Or act like a pioneer headed west. You know where west is. Navigate with the advantages you have at hand – even better if you have a proven algorithm and good intuition – but the best path of all is seeking simple.

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NY Times bestselling author, Vince Poscente, is the founder of Libretto Publishing and has written five bookstranslated into more than twenty languages. He writes about harnessing the speed of change, the way to reach      BIG GOALS in less time, accelerating potential of human capital, how to get out of your own way and best of all, instant impact with lasting influence.

Tags: Motivational, Inspirational