Doing Less to Create More

You’ve likely seen it. An executive decides on a new priority. A cascade of activity follows. Their direct reports summon their teams, who instantly drop what they had been doing. Soon dozens of people are hustling to pull together spreadsheets and dashboards and set up workstreams – all in response to this new, urgent agenda item.

Hundreds of hours can get sunk into this one. small. decision.

Don’t get me wrong, many times this new priority is truly where the focus should be. But at other times, it’s misdirected. It creates a wild goose chase and a flurry of busy work, all in pursuit of change.

This new year has already tangled with my own previous notions of what’s important. At school drop-off, I lock gazes with other glassy-eyed parents who are no doubt also wondering, “What uncertainty might this day bring?” We’re all clinging to our routines. Hoping they’ll stick. But the threat of disruption is all too real and familiar.

Many of my clients and friends started the new year with big change. Change in their job role, a new boss, a company acquisition, or a new home. Heck, even a fresh perspective is a change! And though many of these changes bring positive outcomes, they still bring moments of discomfort.

So what can we do about it? As friends, parents, and leaders, how do we move through change with lightness and a more creative approach?

Focus on your span of control. There are many things we probably wish were different right now, but zeroing in on where we have influence is a good place to start. Make a long list of all of the things you wish were different, then circle the (likely few) things you can directly change. Reflect on this opportunity to simplify what gets your attention.

Consciously do less. Yikes! This one is hard. An author friend of mine shared that her word for 2022 is “no.” Think about the things on your plate that may no longer serve you. Consider where you can push pause – or what to remove entirely from your mental to-do list. Then consider the positive impact that doing less might have on those you lead.

Find new ways to be grateful. I love learning about the scientific benefits of gratitude. Even when things are really hard (which they often are), there are usually positive lessons to be found. In your teams, find ways to ritualize moments of gratitude at the start/close of a meeting or in quarterly reflections.

Keep connecting. It’s easy these days to feel like we’re on an island. Some of the bright spots of last year were with clients I’ve never met in person. We belly laughed over the absurdity of our shared struggles. There were many unspoken moments of, “I see you. And I can’t fix anything. But we’ll be okay.”

Make health and wellbeing a strategic business priority. I love that my clients are focusing more on this…it’s worth celebrating! Remember to take rest and recharge when you can— before the point you can no longer function without a break.

Can we all aim to do a little less this year? I hope so. Let’s shed the stuff that didn’t ever really matter to focus on the stuff that does. Let’s be thoughtful about the changes we introduce that may impact others. And let’s make 2022 a year of doing less to create more. That’s a change I’ll happily embrace.