Nearly 30 years ago, I was a high school physics instructor teaching my students how to convert a 1985 Ford Escort into an electric race car. It was an incredible, life-changing project for both me and my students (and the subject of a wonderfully written book, Electric Dreams).

One afternoon I was helping them think through a problem: how to cover a 4-inch diameter vent within the wheel well. The challenge was to cover it so that water from the roadway couldn’t come in but air could exit. My students thought that installing an oversized plastic flap seemed like the best solution. I agreed. 

My fellow instructor Harold Miller – the veteran auto shop teacher – caught the end of the conversation. He then went to his supply room and returned a moment later carrying an empty plastic ½-gallon milk jug and a pair of scissors. 

“Here y’all go,” Harold cheerily said as he put the milk jug and scissors on the workbench. “You can make your flap out of this.” 

“An old milk jug?” I asked with a tone that clearly indicated that I thought that a milk jug was too pedestrian of a plastic source for a high-tech electric car. 

“You need to kiss, Mr. Ryan,” Harold responded. My students and I looked at each other with quizzical looks. 

“Kiss?” I responded. 

Harold smiled broadly. “Yes, KISS. As in Keep It Simple Stupid!” 

The lightness of the moment eroded my protest and the students set about with the task. 

The milk jug flap worked like a charm and was never replaced. 

That was my first introduction to the wonderful wisdom of the KISS Principle. Since that time I’ve been reminded hundreds — if not thousands — of times in my consulting work how keeping it simple with strategic planning is often the best approach. 

Simple strategic plans are easier to communicate. Simple processes are easier to follow. Simple goals are easier to understand. And, as I wrote about in a recent blog, keeping it simple will help you and your team take action. 

All of that makes sense. But isn’t simplicity also a sign of simple-mindedness? That’s what I thought until I read Steve Jobs quoting Leonardo da Vinci: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

So, if simplicity is good enough for geniuses like Jobs and da Vinci, well, I can get behind that. 

At Mission Met, simplicity is a cornerstone of all of our programs/services. Specifically, our START strategic planning course provides organizations with a practical strategic plan that they can successfully achieve. Learn more about how START can transform your organization.