Explain to me like a 85-year old

Ever tried to explain a technical concept to an elderly person who isn't tech-savvy?

A few weeks ago, my mom complained that her phone was way too slow.

I found 30+ applications running in the background.

Mom asked, "Why is it so slow?"

I couldn't explain technical terms like CPUs and memory, and I couldn't get into the details of background processes.

I had to think of a different way.

I said: "Mom, look at me!"

Once I had mom's attention on me, I continued,

"I have something in my left hand, something in my right hand, something on my left foot, and something on my right foot. I even have something around my neck.

Now, if you ask me to carry something else, I can't.

Your phone is similar.

It was having too many apps running, and it's like me carrying too many things.

When I close the apps on your phone, it's like I am removing all of those things from my feet, my neck, and my hands.

Now I can carry whatever you want to take.

Similarly, your phone can now do what you want it to do."

Mom said, "I see! That makes perfect sense!"

As leaders, our job isn't to show how much we know and how many technical jargon terms we can leverage, but to communicate with empathy and clarity.

Great leadership is about making the complex feel simple.

Outstanding leadership is about communicating in a "language" the other person can understand.