The Discovery So Simple, No One Believed It

Have you ever been faced with an incredibly complex and challenging problem?

One that seems beyond your reach?

That’s what happened to Dr. Greg Devore.

As a young medical student at Yale he became fascinated with how the human body develops and soon found himself in residency at the Los Angeles County Hospital researching women with high risk pregnancies.

If he could help them, the women and their newborns would be healthy.

If not? The lives of the mothers and especially their infants would be in jeopardy.

What could be done? What could help women with at-risk pregnancies of all backgrounds, of all economic statuses, of all health profiles, and of all ages?

Talk about a complex problem!

(Photo: Dr Devore in action)

Many doctors recommended treatments with groundbreaking medicines… but not every family could afford them. And many in developing countries couldn’t access them.

Other doctors suggested complex medical procedures and treatments. But again these were out of reach for most.

As Dr. Devore worked on the problem he thought: “The most important thing is to make sure the developing baby gets enough nutrients and blood flow. So how do we do that?”

Overtime, one solution became obvious.

If the human heart is on the left side of the body, he reasoned, then what if women simply took the time to rest and lay on their left side more often?

Simply resting on the left side could solve several problems at once:

1. Gravity would naturally increase the blood flow to the mother’s heart

2. With her heart’s workload simplified, it could send more lifegiving blood and nutrients to the developing baby

3. The at-risk baby would have a greater chance at reaching a healthy weight.

4. That in turn would lead to increased chance of survival for both mother and child.

Best of all, resting on the left side wasn’t limited to the people who could afford expensive treatments… It was something anyone could do no matter their background, economic status, or location in the world.

(Photo: Just look at those little toes…)

And so as Dr. Devore began researching, publishing, and speaking on this simple idea two things happened.

First, he saw remarkable results in women who’s growing babies were underweight. In one population, the stillborn deaths decreased from 6 out of very 1,000 born to less than 2. And the more he shared the ideas, researchers in other countries had similarly surprising results.

However the second curious thing that happened was that many doctors dismissed the idea as being far too simple. And so they didn’t even try it. Instead, they preferred the expensive treatments and procedures that remained out of reach for most struggling families.

Overtime as decades of research and publications have continued to show the beneficial results of this intuitive solution, acceptance in the wider medical community has gradually increased. Today, more and more doctors all over the world are beginning to recommend this simple approach to helping women and babies.

What does this have to do with influence and success?

I find this story to be fascinating and revealing.

First, when we are dealing with complex problems, how often are we tempted to introduce equally complex solutions? If Dr Devore’s story has anything to teach us its that simplicity, and relying on existing systems and solutions may not seem sexy… but they can be the most effective.

How can you simplify the complex problem in front of you? Is there an underlying cause you have overlooked?

Second, when we introduce simple solutions to complex problems, sometimes they are dismissed or ignored by others. As Michael Easter explains in Scarcity Brain, our minds are wired to chase novelty and complexity … even when simpler answers work better. That means whenever you are searching for an answer, remember that you are pre-disposed to search for slightly more complex things… not necessarily things that get the best results.

The people you need to convince? Their brains work the same way.

When introducing a simple solution, how can you communicate clearly and connect with others to help them see the benefits of your idea?

For ideas on how to do this, check out my chapter “The Two Doctors Who Battled An Invisible Killer” in my book, The Influence Mindset for Sales Acceleration. (page 169)

(Photo: Try laying down. Except on your left side. And not in the middle of a road. And not in bear-infested Alaska somewhere.)

And so this week as you are navigating your increasingly complex life, are you trying to find equally complex solutions?

Or could the answer be something simpler, and more easy to implement?

As you think about it, try resting on your left side.

Maybe your ideas… and heart… will flow a little bit easier.

Just ask Dr. Greg Devore.

Christian

CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his wife. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com