"The key note of everything to be SIMPLICITY": QMN007
The Quartermaster Newsletter, Thursday, 2 May
"The key note of everything to be SIMPLICITY" (Today’s report is a 4 minute read)
BLUF: Communications should only include what's absolutely necessary and no more, using an economy of words to convey intent as accurately as possible - to ensure the recipient gathers exactly what you're trying to get across. Unnecessary description will only get in the way and waste time. Consider these examples and improve yourself.
Brady here. In his bestselling 2000 book The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene lists Law Four as “Always Say Less Than Necessary” - claiming that by saying too much, you unduly open yourself up to criticism, and that most people eventually are likely to say something regrettable. Explaining that powerful people say less than most, Greene also claims the powerful often keep things vague and open-ended as a means of intimidation and posturing.
For the purposes of effectiveness and positive leadership, Greene’s law takes it a bit too far, and for the wrong reasons. Communications should only include what's absolutely necessary and no more, using an economy of words to convey intent as accurately as possible - to ensure the recipient gathers exactly what you're trying to get across. Unnecessary description will only get in the way and waste time. The goal is always a successful completion of all objectives - and a good posture for upcoming operations. Nowhere is this more evident that the principles that govern combat and emergency communications.
Nick Parish and I discussed this idea in 2016 - he’d done a fantastic article for Contagious that looked at some of the most simple but effective briefs, and we followed it up with a discussion of the 5-paragraph operation order and our planning process. Since then I’ve realized that there are plenty of famous examples of very effective military communications that accomplished amazing results and said as little as possible - ranging from Helmuth Graf von Moltke’s 7-sentence message that won the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 to the 5-page D-Day Operation Order (14 if you count appendices). For common use, it’s worth examining Long Range Surveillance reports like ANGUS and BORIS to see how best to send short messages in small time windows that maximize opportunity and minimize wasted time. And for planning communications, I’ve found Bernard Montgomery’s 1-page D-Day plan to be an inspiration.
Anyone versed in combat and emergency communications will tell you that the way to get good at creating clear, concise orders is to practice continuously. Practice will tell you what’s effective and what isn’t, what’s superfluous and what’s absolutely critical, and how long it takes to craft just the right few words. Anyone can start today with their daily email back and forth following Nick’s NOLS model or the OPORD example: state the situation, explain what needs to happen and why, what we must ensure happens to make it work- and open it up for feedback to ensure its received well. Done.
STATISTICS AND EVOLUTIONS: Real or not? These crazy home run totals are the new normal (5 min) “If it feels like the home runs are being hit harder and farther than ever before, your eyes probably aren't deceiving you. According to the old ESPN Home Run Tracker, in 2008 there were an estimated 219 home runs of 440-plus feet. Including Jorge Soler's long blast Monday for the Royals, there already have been 58 home runs of 440-plus feet in 2019 (via Statcast), a pace of 336 by season's end.” (BJM)
ENGAGEMENT EVOLUTIONS: Instagram Is the New Mall (3 min) “Influencers won't receive a cut of the sales their posts will generate. They will, however, have access to a shared analytics dashboard with robust metrics that the tagged brand can also see. Previously, influencers relied on screenshots and other imperfect methods to communicate engagement numbers with brands, so it was nearly impossible to tie their influence directly to sales. Having a more streamlined framework and detailed analytics will be incredibly valuable for influencers.” (BJM)
MINDSET EVOLUTIONS: Cultivating Passions with Chris Erickson (5 min) “It’s amazing how quickly life comes into focus when you’re able to detach yourself from the rapid chaos of today’s modern life and evaluate what actually matters. Prioritization becomes easy when you’re willing to look at things from a perspective of eternity and the length of your earthly life.” (KSA)
SHORTER KSA FROM YESTERDAY? “There is no other way of guarding oneself against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth; but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect.” – Niccolo Machiavelli
Remarks Complete. Nothing Follows.
KS Anthony (KSA) & Brady Moore (BJM)