Pedro Pinto’s review of Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Business Man | Goodreads
A small book (less than 80 pages) that in simple terms and using a parable, through the lenses of Mr. Obvious Adams (Oliver Adams), explains the value of the scientific method and Occam's Razor principle in order to solve any business challenge and in the case of Oliver how to create and implement sound and structured marketing campaigns.
The scientific method is paramount to address any business problem in all its stages:
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Observe,
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Raise the pertinent questions,
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Create a hypothesis,
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Experiment,
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Analyze and,
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Make a conclusion/take a decision.
In the several cases presented it was shown that the "expert" jumps into conclusion based on preconceived ideas without observing what is really happening, thus generating very sophisticated solutions that have no relevance or address the problem that needs to be solved.
How many times you, your marketing director, your revenue director, your finance manager, your supply manager observes directly the reality, problems, virtues or constraints of his/her operations?
How many times your CEO visits your customers/associates/other stakeholders? and not talking about courtesy/well prepared visits (window shopping ones) but business trips with the necessary time to really understand what is going on?
Without that 1st step (direct observation) it will be very difficult not to end in the conundrum previously presented.
Secondly, although something most business experts also do not like or even pursue, the need to use the Occam's Razor principle while addressing any problem/situation, that proposes that the simple explanation or solution is the most correct one and that generates a greater impact.
The afterword provides in a very sound way the key-takeaways of the book:
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Know your audience, study them, go where they go, do what they do, engage with them, ask questions, and listen.
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Be an observer and notice how they interact (or don’t) with your product or service and understand why.
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Do the work.
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Offer solutions.
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Substance beats style, and principles beat tactics.
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Each day, spend time simply thinking.
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Blaze your own trail.
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The power of persistence.
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How you analyze a situation matters.
Finally, how can you test if your solution/explanation is simple and obvious? Test it via these 3 lenses:
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Eight-year-old rule, can you explain it to a child?
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Is it succinct? can you explain it in a tweet?
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Does it generate a "aha moment"? is it obvious (of course it makes sense)?
The reading of this book is a small investment, but with a huge payoff.
Happy readings!
"... Dr. Watson walks into a room, and Sherlock Holmes instantly accuses him of hanging out in the club all day. “How did you know?” Watson asks. “A gentleman goes forth on a showery and miry day. He returns immaculate in the evening with the gloss still on his hat and his boots. Is it not obvious?” Holmes says. “Well, it is rather obvious,” Watson admits. “The world is full of obvious things which nobody ever observes,” says Holmes. (The Hounds of The Baskervilles, Conan Doyle)..."
My favorite quotes from the book:
“…The only problem is that often the obvious doesn’t appear so obvious because people are searching for complexity. Too many leaders, managers, executives, and coaches think solving a problem should require a complicated solution….”
“…As a society we like complex solutions because we think if something has more steps, involves processes, or costs more then it must be better. …”
“…“A few books, well studied, and thoroughly digested, nourish the understanding more than hundreds but gargled in the mouth, as ordinary students use.” -Frances Osborne, British Author…”
“…Great leaders take the complicated and make it simple to understand in the eyes of the learner. Winning is simple; we humans tend to complicate it….”
Goodreads book summary
Published in 1916, this story is over a hundred years old, yet its message is just as relevant today as it was in 1916. Perhaps even more so.Why? Because never in the history of our society have we had greater access to information yet at the same time we’ve never been more deficient in common sense.Advertising legend David Ogilvy believed this book changed his life and was so passionate about its message that he had his employees read it every year.I’ve read the book a dozen times, and each time I pick up a new insight or piece of wisdom from it. It’s less a book about advertising, or even about Adams himself, as much as it’s a book about the power of mindset.I encourage you to read and re-read this book a dozen times, too. I can realistically promise you that you’ll glean some new wisdom from Obvious Adams each time you re-read it.
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