One of the lessons I learned the hard way as a CEO was that the amount of work doesn’t always equal the impact. For a long time, I focused on controls and predictability, convinced that lots of reports, analysis, and data would lead to better outcomes. I thought, the more information, the better. But as Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “For the simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn’t give you a fig. But for the simplicity on the other side of complexity, for that I would give you anything I have.” It took me some time to understand that true mastery often means stripping things down, not piling things on.
One place I saw this play out was at GHSP. Our president at the time, Jerry Scott, noticed that our data and reporting processes had become so bloated that they were actually slowing us down. He gathered the leadership team and gave us a simple directive: for 30 days, stop sending out any standard reports. Wait until someone screams, then meet with them, determine exactly what they need and reinstate the flow of communication. If, at the end of the month, no one missed a report, we’d cut it out for good. It was a powerful exercise in removing what wasn’t adding real value.
In lean manufacturing, they call this “analyzing non-value-added versus value-added work.” It’s something we should all do regularly. Look at your work, your reports, your routines, and ask yourself, “Is this adding value to a customer or stakeholder?” Finding simplicity on the far side of complexity is what makes all the difference. It clears the way to focus on what truly matters—and, in the end, that’s what drives real results.