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“Great leaders are
almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.”
Colin Powell
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Reductio ad..?
Branson: Why
is it that people who like to simplify often divide people into three groups?
Powell: Do
they? Who do you mean, “they”?
Branson: Malcolm
Gladwell did it in The Tipping Point.
Mavens, connectors and salesmen.
Powell: I see
your point. I just ran across some postings on Quora by people who like to
divide others into “puzzle-solvers”, “tool-users” and “storytellers”.
Branson: I’ve
seen that distinction before. It popped up in an obscure academic book in German containing a reference to Jerome Bruner. So you say others claim it as
their own paradigm? It happens. Anyway, what’s magical about three?
Powell: Indeed. Why not four or five? Some home
in on “seven”. “Seven Habits….” But I think three
has a pedigree of simplicity and authority. The triple, the trio, the triangle.
The tripod, the triathlon, the trinity.
__________
Voice-over
Mavens: Connect us with new information. They have knowledge, social skills
and an ability to communicate.
Connectors: Know large numbers of people and provide
introductions. They have active social networks of over 100 people.
Salesmen: Good at persuading others. They are
charismatic people with charm and negotiation skills.
Puzzle-solvers: Tend to minimize emotional and social
context of thinking.
Tool-users: Focus on tools to make changes in the
environment.
Storytellers: Use narratives to show causal and consequential relations.
Storytellers: Use narratives to show causal and consequential relations.
...
