How to master the two most important (but tricky) words in your career

It’s easy to be complicated and hard to be simple

Welcome to Illuminate Me. Each week, I share an illuminating insight to help you communicate and connect better, growing your reach, impact, and career.

This week’s insight: Simple isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

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SIMPLE ≠ EASY

Though most people tend to use the words “simple” and “easy” interchangeably, they have slightly different meanings:

Simple refers to being uncomplicated and easily understood; easy means something achieved without great effort.

Ironically, it’s easy to be complicated and hard to be simple.

It takes discipline and a conscious and intentional effort to make something less confusing, complex, and difficult to understand or do.

But in the context of your career, it’s worth it.

Here’s how to simplify to make things easy:

Start with clarity

Simplicity begins with clarity. If you don’t or can’t clearly articulate why others should work with you, you force them to do the work to decipher the mystery that is you.

(Spoiler alert: They probably won’t bother.)

Guessing equates to confusion, and when you confuse, you lose—potential opportunities, clients, projects, promotions, and partners.

When you’re clear, everything becomes easier. You eliminate guesswork, and people understand you, what you offer, your value, what differentiates you, and how you can help them. Clarity helps others know, like, and trust you, making it easy to work with you.

Don’t rely on clever

Yes, it’s tempting to be witty in your latest marketing campaign or LinkedIn headline, but if it leaves your audience scratching their heads, you’re in trouble. Clarity beats clever every time. Remember, you maximize the power of your words by simplifying them.

Lose unnecessary complexity

There’s a reason the K.I.S.S. (“keep it simple, stupid”) method endures. Originating as a design principle by the U.S. Navy in 1960, it states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated.

Practically speaking, this means dropping flowery language, industry acronyms, and buzzwords. (You won’t impress people with them, and you risk alienating the very people with whom you’re hoping to connect.) Swap jargon for plain language to increase the odds of you and your message being favorably received—and understood.

Keep it brief and focused

The hard truth: Multiple-page emails are rarely simple (or read), and long, meandering presentations ensure you’ll lose your audience’s attention—and the opportunity to connect.

When you try to cover too much ground, you risk becoming scattered. Rather than ramble on and on (which signals that you’re unorganized and unsure of yourself), eliminate extraneous material and stick to one central theme, which helps you become more “user-friendly” and easier to understand.

Stay in your wheelhouse

Do you describe yourself as a Marketing Guru/Engineer/Entrepreneur/Monkey Trainer/ChatGPT Prompt Specialist/(Fill In The Blank)?

Bad news: you’re way too complicated and confusing.

There’s nothing wrong with having multiple interests, but a Jack- or Jill-of-all-trades is often perceived as an unfocused master of none. Instead, put your talents to their highest and best use by leading with your primary offering. Pick a lane, and go deep, consistently sharing your wisdom in your zone of genius, making it easy for others to understand your value and how you can help them.

Remember, when you do the hard work of simplifying things for your intended audience—your boss, partner, client, prospect, or potential employer—you make it easy for them to do business with you.

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Another thing that’s not always easy? Picking the right word.

Some words are more impactful than others.

You might even call them MAGIC because they have the power to persuade, engage, and activate.

Jonah Berger has identified six types of “magic words.”*

And in my latest Forbes article, I share five ways to harness the first type: the language of identity.

*With a tip of the hat to Jonah Berger, whose excellent new book, Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way, inspired this article.

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Something that seems simple but isn’t?

The way you start and finish your work emails.

ICYMI, in my recent Forbes article, I shared the 30 worst email greetings and sign-offs to avoid.

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More illumination:

• Miss last week’s newsletter? Read about how I was making things harder than I needed to by breaking my #1 rule for content.

• And one from the archives: Learn why this is the one investment you’ll never regret.

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P.S.

What I do:

When I’m not writing this newsletter or working hard to simplify, I’m a social media ghostwriter. (Yep, that’s a thing). I help founders craft their stories to communicate and connect better, magnifying their reach and impact. (Think personal branding and thought leadership.)

I can also weave together your personal and professional experience to write an engaging, original, and authentic career story that aligns with and supports your personal brand and thought leadership, positioning you for success.

Learn more by visiting my website.

Where you can follow me and find more of my work:

Forbes: I write weekly articles on personal transformation and its impact on career growth.

LinkedIn: Hit the 🔔 in the top right corner of my profile to get notified when I post and join more than 21,000 others by subscribing to my weekly LinkedIn newsletter, momentum, featuring insights to help you maintain positive motion and continually grow your career.

Twitter: Pithy synopses and threads of my content.

Instagram: My content, visualize (and occasional travel-related Instagram Stories and archived Story Highlights about my adventures if you’re into that kind of thing).

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