“Keep it simple stupid,” said my Platoon Sergeant after I briefed him my plan as to how we would move our platoon from our current location to the objective. No he wasn’t being rude… he was referencing a principle coined by the US Navy in the 1960’s called the KISS Principle. This principle states that most systems work best when they are kept simple rather than made complicated-- that most systems should be designed with simplicity in mind over complexity.
My Platoon Sergeant continued, “Sir, you’re trying to do too much here. We have 5 trucks to move from point A to B… there is no need to make this into an A to B to C to D movement. Focus on the basics… because when you’re leading men into combat, simple plans are the easiest to follow.”
This was one of the best lessons I had ever been taught as a junior officer, so I wanted to share a little bit about it with you today.
