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Have you ever had a chronic pain -- like a back injury or an extended houseguest -- that you didn't fully realize was affecting you until it went away?

That's sort of what has happened with complexity in today's business world.  Complexity is so pervasive that we've become, perhaps thankfully, somewhat numb to it.  We only fully recognize its impact when we have a moment of relief.  Recognized or not, many bright, hard driving executives are privately struggling with the huge volume of complexity in their roles and responsibilities.  Yet companies behave -- in terms of how they develop leaders and run operations -- as though the world has remained little changed.

But it has changed profoundly.  Technology, regulatory and global market cycles spin faster than any business's ability to readily keep up.  Operating as a leader today presents not just extraordinary opportunity, but extraordinary burden as well.  And that burden exacts a major cost - on businesses and individual leaders.  It shows up first for individuals in lost connectivity to friends, family and physical vitality.  For businesses it shows up painfully in lost capacity for collaboration, innovation and openness - as leaders slowly degrade to what we call "brownout".  For businesses, the cost of brownout in failed execution is huge.

A 'Better & Simpler' Strategy for Complexity Overload 

Because we are all subject to complexity bombardment, concentration of focus offers the best opportunity for improved success and employee satisfaction.  A pragmatic way to foster effective concentration of focus is to ask yourself (and then your team), how can you make your business Better & Simpler?

• In your business strategy and operations?
• In your team's goals?
• In building powerful relationships?
• In your executive communication?

Try looking at everything you do from the lens of making your business Better & Simpler.  If you can drive a Better & Simpler focus in your business, then your purpose, goals and communication will have an opportunity to cut through the fog of complexity for your team and your customers.

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