How to avoid the Bozo syndrome: Lessons from Apple and others

This piece does not intend to vilify the character; Bozo the clown.


Bozo the clown was a character that was played by the trio of Lawrence Weiss, Robert Lewis Bell and Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig at different times. Bozo the clown represent a child's fantasy as every clown character is. The truth is that the least status anybody would want to be in business is a Bozo because nobody takes clowns serious. Today, Bozo is the legendary Apple term that describes a state of utter mediocrity. A Bozo is an idiot.


Retrospectively, the most profound professional counsel I ever received was in form of an acronym. This counsel came from the CEO of a company I worked with. She said in her well-polished American accent "Femi, you are really gonna go far if you learn to K.I.S.S; Keep It Short & Simple)". I must confess that I am still a huge work in progress as far as keeping things simple is concerned. This piece is about the golden rule of brevity.


Way back in secondary school; I was trained to do the opposite of K.I.S.S. Back then, one must really show that you are worth the grade by writing your way into the mind of the teacher. I remember for a subject like Government, there was no chance you could possibly score high marks without writing the long epistles. We had questions like "Enumerate the merits and demerits of the military system of government...." In such a question, woes betide you if you go straight to the point. To be sure to impress the teacher, you had to begin by defining the military government, state a brief anthology of the military concept before going to state the merits and demerits. Stating the merits and demerits goes beyond mere listing. You had to provide reasonable explanation for each point listed. You know you are okay when you have written about two and half pages or more. This didn't change much in the university also where lecturers insisted that you download all you can possibly write. It was common place to see people asking for additional sheet(s) to tackle questions.

I have hard to learn the hard way since coming into the real world. To my rude shock, what my teachers and lecturers insisted on has become an unacceptable practice. Today, every report including presentation slides must come with an executive summary. Suddenly, what was a critical requirement back in school has become so undesirable. It is not unusual today to get back-lashed for "wasting executive time". Nobody has time for shitty preambles. What I get to hear is: GO STRAIGHT TO THE POINT! Going straight to the point has become the holy grail of the times we now live in.

I have learnt a few things about Keeping It Short & Simple which I hope to distill in this piece. Before I do that, I want to state some general observations about the era in which we currently live. These are not commandments but mere observations:

1.   There is a lot of clutter today. The velocity at which information jumps at people is quite alarming. This is an hallmark of the era in which we live in. There is a lot of noise which makes it difficult to communicate effectively. Communication today is highly multimedia in nature.

2.   The attention span of people today is generally low. Executives are most prone to this. These people don't have the luxury of time and cannot stand volumes of slides.

 

What about Apple and others?

Apple is a sterling example of a brand that understands the rules of 21st century engagement. The design philosophy of Apple rests on the minimalistic philosophy which has deep roots in the German Bauhaus tradition where less is more. The American K.I.S.S philosophy is not unconnected to the German Bauhaus tradition. In fact, both philosophies seek to achieve the same objective(s). However, while the American K.I.S.S appears to be more colloquial, the German Bauhaus tradition applies to more sophisticated areas including architecture, engineering and general parlance. The German Bauhaus is a true enigma of material significance. This tradition is responsible for many brand icons such as Mercedes Benz and Volks which represent the hallmark of German engineering and mechanical dexterity.

Apple is the most valuable technology company in the world. Its market capitalization is bigger than my country’s total stock market capitalization. There's one or two things that one can glean from this company.

Q

So what makes Apple so much of an enigma?

Why has it got such a grip on its loyal users and developers?

Why do people wait on long queues sometimes overnight to buy a new Apple product?

What makes Macintosh such a cult?

 

A

The answer is simple and it’s in the Apple minimalistic DNA. Let us examine some of the ways Apple has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the minimalistic discipline.


No manuals
A typical Apple product carries no manual. This is highly deliberate. I have come to see this purely as a result. Apple products can afford not to come with thick manuals because of the very way it is designed. Apples products are designed to eliminate every form of headache the user can do without. Steve Jobs once said at the annual Digital conference that “I am very interested in entering any industry where the manufacturers and their cohorts are making life difficult for the consumer” (Paraphrased). This explains why Apple never fails to become the darling of any market they choose to go into. A two year old lad can easily use an iPad. According to Don Norman (Author of Emotional Design) “Apple and many other brands understand the science and art of design and apply these knowledge in very practical terms. Don consults for Apple


Eliminate the noise

Apple knows how to cut through the clutter. This is a function of a very clear sense of identity and sound understanding of what matters. Apple understands the science and art of marketing like no other company. While most companies are consumed by the need to sell their products, Apple concentrates on selling a Point of View. People don’t buy WHAT we do. They buy WHY we do what we do (Simon Sinek). Apple’s why helps it to cut through the clutter to enchant. Speaking of enchantment, Guy Kawasaki (Former Apple Chief Evangelist) has got a lot to say on what makes Apple.


Enchant

Guy is his book Enchantment distilled a number of gems that helps to achieve the kind of Apple aura. As a former Apple fellow, he understands the Apple philosophy like no other person. A must read, in his book, Guy shared a world of interesting insights into how to achieve brevity. One of such is the 10:20:30 rule. According to Guy, the optimal number of slides for a pitch presentation is 10 which should be shared in 20mins and a font size of 30. This is his recommendation for achieving a bozo-proof presentation.


Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

 

Image Credit: Google Image