Clarify, Simplify, Amplify.
Last week I got a nice surprise.
I hopped on the LinkedIn app to see that some nice chap from some far away part of the world had assembled my POV on Advertising and produced it on a cool carousel.
The topic? The very thing creative agencies are best at: Namely, clarifying what a brand stands for. Simplifying the messaging. And amplifying the brand to its audience and points beyond.
In other words:
Clarify.
Simplify.
Amplify.
About midway through my career, I realized that this was what I should be doing and it served me well as a creative, CEO, Chairman and even now as an executive coach.
If you’re an advertising person, I offer this CSA framework up for you to use as an approach for a current brief or your next one.
In a coaching context, Clarify, Simplify, Amplify also comes in handy.
I am constantly looking to clarify what I see and hear. Often times people tell me something and I must ask, “Is this true?” So often it’s a story people have developed in their own minds and then tell themselves over and over again — and frankly, so many times this narrative can be proven false.
I also help people simplify. So often people are so smart and have so much to say, I find myself saying, “Ok, good. Now tell me what you just told me — but tell me like I’m an 8th grader.”
Amplify. This is interesting. I have so many ways to talk about this. For the moment, I will simply offer this: as a leader, everything you do is amplified: What you say is always at high volume — and it echoes. How you show up in a room is scrutinized. (Same thing for how you show up on a Zoom). If you’re grumpy, people worry. If you’re cool, calm and collected, people will feel good.
This can also work to your advantage. Think about the messages you deliberately want to send.
Also, think about your power on a place like LinkedIn. As a leader, what you say matters. And as stated above — echoes.
Which brings me back to the framework at hand: Clarify, Simplify, Amplify.
How will you use it?
Image: Chris Gill, X/Twitter
"What you say is always at high volume — and it echoes. How you show up in a room is scrutinized. (Same thing for how you show up on a Zoom). If you’re grumpy, people worry. If you’re cool, calm and collected, people will feel good." Such important advice.
I love this and I feel like it's bigger than just how you work or coach. It applies to life. I'm constantly trying to simplify the things I find complicated, clarify the stuff that I'm confused about and amplify my desire to be understood.