We don't lean into the elegant mess we are and use it to our advantage.
We try to define complex things with simple frameworks, and we add complexity where it's not needed. Our hiring systems are just one symptom of a very large problem.
As humans, we are all complex and messy. We can also be simplistic and elegant. We’ll call it the elegant mess, and we aren’t defining it in a way we can evolve well.
Hiring processes are often structured to prioritize specialization over broad skill sets.
This is just one area where we’re spending time on the wrong things.
We’re trying to define too much of what a person is capable of in the most simplistic ways. This over-simplification and trying to cog-ify people to fit into a machine, as opposed to treating them as organic beings that are infinitely capable, affects everything around us: our health, our livelihood, our communities, and our economy.
Why do we do this?
There’s what seems to be a false assumption that systematizing people’s potential will lead to easier hiring, quicker innovation, and increase potential.
Companies need to find someone to do a thing and solve an issue, and they need to insert them into said situation quickly.
Easy, right?
No.
There’s not a formula without human-to-human interaction, training, and cooperation that will be able to identify if someone will excel at solving a problem 100% of the time.
There are too many variables, but we try to make it simpler than it is to move quickly and show we can solve the problem of finding the person.
We need to mix the simple with the complex. It cannot be one or the other.
We can codify and simplify certain things about humans when we boil it down enough to the simplest parts. I’m thinking DNA, which is by no means simple, but there are some very consistent markers.
We’re all a unique bag of chemicals
Sometimes the ‘bag of chemicals’ statement really offends people, but it’s true. Our reactions and emotions are a chemical reaction. Our very makeup as humans is chemical.
Our understanding of health and science can only go so far in understanding how people will operate in any given situation. We can look at some patterns and understand how they’ll work, but there are so many variables to contend with.
Many people might have some things about them that are similar, but we have that whole brain that’s running how we react, which is trained based on all our experiences, traumas, decisions, interactions we’ve had in the past. Which can vary to an infinite level.
This is a very human thing to do: attempt to simply the complex.
We try to boil hard things down to a simplistic view. It’s called the simplicity theory.
It’s really difficult to simply something.
If you’ve ever tried to simplify language for a presentation, or make some explanation short and punchy, it takes a ton of work. To take a design and make it really sleek, simple, elegant, takes a ton of thought. Most people can’t just simplify a complex issue right out of the gate.
This is also very human thing to do: to make the simple very complex.
We also do the total opposite. How many times have you heard “well, what I do is just super difficult”.
I’ve met rocket scientists, they can say that.
Most of us?
Again, no.
Most other people’s jobs aren’t as hard as they make them out to be, but who they are is much more complex than they give themselves credit for. It’s called complexity bias.
Yes, what we do is complicated, but it can be much simpler than we think.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius
Why does this matter?
We need to spend time on the right things for the right reasons
It’s about balance, but also time.
Complexity just for the sake of it is a waste of time. Overcomplicating things like communication, technology, or problem-solving can lead to confusion, inefficiency, and frustration. A simple task, like signing up for a service or applying for a job, shouldn’t require 10 unnecessary steps.
Queue the nodding and perhaps screaming from those that have had to upload a resume then see ‘please enter your entire career’.
Clarity brings people together
The best solutions are often clear and effective, not pretty or fancy. Yeah, it’s not as exciting, but sometimes solving an issue or making something clear just isn’t exciting.
It’s what you get to do now that you’ve solved that problem that might be pretty, fancy, or exciting.
What does the simplicity give way to?
Simplification leaves out details that matter
Oversimplification can also cause problems. Some things are complex by nature, think science, policies, or relationships. Reducing them too much can lead to misunderstandings or bad decisions.
Saying “AI is just a robot brain” misses the reality of how it actually works.
Simplicity should clarify, not dumb down, essential details.
Make things as simple as possible, but no simpler – Albert Einstein
How does this help me in my career? How does this relate to business?
Anytime you communicate, whether it’s a resume, a job interview, a communication with your co-workers or manager, or building a process (like hiring) this balance comes into play.
Is there a clear, strategic, well-researched approach that has flexibility?
Are questions answered with clarity, real examples, and relevant details?
Are summaries concise, well-structured, and clearly highlighting achievements and needs?
Is there a structured, efficient process that evaluates what is needed?
Are there clear expectations with room for creativity and growth?
So, what do we do about it? Don’t do it alone.
Find that middle zone, the balance. Embrace the complexity. The mix of it all. Good design, writing, or problem-solving means keeping what’s necessary while cutting out what’s excessive. Cut the clutter, but keep what’s needed to function.
There’s a whole fleet of struggle busses, here. It’s not easy to get this right the first time, any time, or immediately.
That’s why tapping into suggestions, reviews, and input from others is essential.
Have a friend review your resume or LinkedIn, putting themselves in the role of a hiring manager or recruiter. It’s really hard to cut out all the details of your career, so it helps to have someone else ask ‘so…why does this matter?’.
Have a trusted co-worker review an important communication or presentation. Please do this. I’ve seen more word salad emails than I can count from amazingly smart and capable people.
It’s ok to have a manager review an overview of an idea before you spend days or weeks on it. It’s much better to check if you are on the right track, than having to get off the train at the wrong stop and turn around.
Stop overcomplicating things and use plain, “real” language, remove unnecessary steps, focus on clarity. Respect nuance, explain details when needed, and don’t cut corners in understanding.
I can’t change a whole system, though.
Maybe not. But maybe.
You know what, scratch that, yes you can.
Small movements from one person can show a group what it means to operate, communicate, and lead with this balance.
We have more power than we think in the things we do daily.
Actions make a small ripple in others that may not mean immediate change, but over time those different actions or ways of operating can build patterns others can see.
“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead
No matter what the thing is that needs to be done, success comes from clarity and balance. Bringing others into your journey of how to achieve this can build a groundswell.