Better to be Clear and Persistent than Brilliant

Have you ever shared what you thought was a groundbreaking insight only to watch it vanish into the professional ether without impact? So often, we aim to say or write something we believe is deeply insightful—something that could genuinely help those around us, especially in our professional lives. But more often than not, we're surprised when others don’t seem to recognize the importance or insightfulness of our ideas.

I've been there countless times. After years of both witnessing and experiencing this phenomenon, I’ve come to realize: it’s usually not that our ideas lack merit. Rather, we often focus too much on the intellectual depth of our thinking and too little on making our message simple and clear.

Over time, I’ve learned that a message that’s easy to understand and repeat is far more powerful than one that’s intellectually impressive but hard to follow.

My advice? Give as much attention to clarity and simplicity as you do to the quality of your thinking. And instead of always chasing something new or “brilliant,” focus on repeating your clear message consistently—until it sticks. The clearest voice often carries the furthest.