Don’t Complexify the Complicated

Welcome to 2026!

Today’s topic has been on my mind over the holidays as I’ve thought about how to drive growth in this new year. It is the difference between things being complicated versus complex, and the importance of differentiating between the two to drive productivity.

When an issue is complicated, it takes time and energy to figure it out, but after it is solved, the process can be implemented over and over efficiently because it reliably stays the same. When an issue is complex, it continually evolves, and we need to frequently modify and adjust our thinking based on the current environment to have success in executing.

For example:

• Engineering is complicated. It took a lot of math to develop the first suspension bridge, but once it was done, the model could be used over and over for every bridge after the first.
• Relationships are complex: People have emotions, experiences, biases, etc., and continually evolve, so we must continually evolve with them to have a meaningful and productive relationship.

How often do you do/observe the following:

• Building plans for substantially similar prospects from scratch, poring over which pages to include, and tweaking variables to test the impact on outcomes 30 years in the future for each of them?
• Debating and modeling whether or not to include APs, and at what level, based upon outcomes 30 years in the future on a $3k premium?
• Not asking for a referral because of the need to re-write referral language because it’s a bigger prospect than what we're used to?

The above are complicated issues that can be solved and built into a process:

• In Driving FPP #22, we discussed a process for advisors to document their planning philosophy for their target markets. When your philosophy is sound, PX’s can be largely standardized in form, with the uniqueness being the client’s data to which the philosophy is applied.
• In episode 104 of PodPlus, Tom talked about having a philosophy of APs: He has a minimum premium threshold, and then the % of APs equals the client’s age - I thought that was brilliant.
• Getting the affirmative, feeding a name or category, qualifying, and asking ‘who else’ is a great referral model regardless of the person being asked.

As humans, we tend to repeatedly complexify the complicated because it gives us a feeling of control over an issue, when we are actually avoiding addressing the more complex issue that feels out of our control: "How am I going to communicate this, how are they going to respond, and what do I do then?” That is an opportunity for fact-finding skill building, not different PX pages!

I’ve had some very impactful conversations over the past few months with coaching clients that began with the question “Is this a complicated issue, or a complex issue?” When people understand the difference and run issues through that lens, they can more quickly clarify the issue in their mind, get hours of unproductive time back, and focus on the right development opportunities to improve effectiveness.

Whether it is working with your leadership team on 2026 priorities, coaching advisors on their growth, or in your personal and professional relationships, keep the filter question “Is this a complicated or complex issue” in your mind to ensure that you’re at the root of the issue, and help you determine your best path forward in executing.

Cheers to an impactful 2026, and I hope we’ll have an opportunity along the way to collaborate in making this your best year yet!

Think Differently,

Steve