Shon Holyfield, CEO of TTR INc., talks about the meaning of complicated, complex, and complexity and how things get complex when you fail to understand something. YOu will find that your life and work gets simpler when you take the time to understand what is required.

1. COMPLICATED,
COMPLEX, AND
COMPLEXITY
By Shon Holyfield

2. Complicated – difficult to
analyze, understand, or
explain.
From Latin* – complicate (combine,
entangle, intertwine – fold together)

3. Complex – hard to separate, analyze,
or solve. From Latin* – complexus (a
multitude of objects.
*Note that Latin is a language that was brought to Italy 1,000
B.C. and was used and spread largely by the Roman Empire

4. Complexity –
something complex.

5. Thought for today.
“Complexity is not an illness. Things can be
and often are complex. In my view,
complexity should be viewed as a
challenge to overcome or ‘marker’ of
something needing further understanding.
However, the presence of complexity can
be a symptom of a much worse malady, the
lack of understanding. The presence of
complexity usually comes from a lack of
understanding over a topic or area. It takes
a high level of understanding to make
complex topics or areas simple for others.
A very high level indeed!”

6. So why then do we keep things
complex?
Lack of understanding, or
Lack of care in finding a way to make it
simple, or
Disagreement that complexity is a problem

7. Lack of understanding.
It is not possible to make
something simple unless it is first
understood. I encourage you to
embrace this idea and quickly
use it. Don’t let the idea that you
may not understand something
well enough to make it simple
bog you down emotionally.

8. Instead, use it as a gauge on your
dashboard (like an oil light). When
something is complex and isn’t
becoming less complex, use that as an
indicator light that there is something
there you don’t understand. The FASTER
you do this, the more successful you will
become. Some people, sadly, spend their
entire life hiding from the idea that they
may not understand.

9. Lack of care in finding a way to
make it simple.
Some people have the point of view that
things are complex and that is just the
way it is. While this is a valid point of
view – I feel that it lacks a level of care
to bravely go in and battle the
complexity until one perseveres and
emerges able to explain complex topics
easily to others. It takes a lot of work.

10. It takes a lot of bravery to spend the
time understanding something well
enough to draw it out on a white board
or explain it using very easy to
understand words and sentences.
Care can involve making others needs
more important than your own. In
deciding to take hours to go through
complex information so that another
person can use the fruits of your labor
in minutes is a high level of care.

11. Disagreement that
complexity is a problem.
Some people like complexity and don’t
feel there is any issue with it. I’ve heard
professionals say they like that things
are complex – they will jokingly say
things like “job security.” Our job
security is in making things simple. If
complexity is something you love, TTR is
not the company for you. I say this with
care, not frustration, anger, judgment, or
contempt.

12. It takes a lot of care and courage (see #2 above)
to go in and spend the extra time to SOLVE
COMPLEXITY because it IS a PROBLEM.
Complexity is a problem for the person who
doesn’t have your level of understanding or
education and is trying to do a job. They
desperately need to understand how to tax
something or how to get money back in the door to
offset an audit. It is very complex to them and
they need help. Would you turn your back on
them?

13. Why don’t I prefer complicated words
or difficult to read sentences?
I am a lover of language and
communication. And I love all the
complicated words and sentences and
books.
That said, I am willing to put aside my
love of beautiful words and complex
topics to do a job that others have not
yet (heretofore) been willing to do. I am
willing to put others’ understanding
before my own love for words.

14. Using difficult to understand
language or words is no longer fun
for me –
it now feels like I’m trying to be a
bully or know it all or show off how
much more I know than another
person –
it is mean hearted in my mind
because I know that some person
out there will suffer from the feeling
of not understanding and all the
frustration that goes along with that.

15. Would you knowingly hurt another person?
Don’t be a word jerk.