Why Simple Wins

You can cultivate the skill of simplification.

Multitasking, inefficiency and unnecessary tasks seem to be part of the new norm. You recognize the signs: reading through emails while on a conference call, finalizing a report from home, adjusting your schedule to respond to a colleague abroad or spending time on a live chat to resolve a mistake on a bill. These are manifestations of complexity, which creates a frustrating sense of ineffectiveness. Complexity can sap your energy, leading you to work hard while feeling as if nothing positive comes of your efforts.

To create a sense of meaning in your work, cast off a complexity-driven mind-set and embrace simplicity. Begin with what you control, and reach out from that to foster an effective, innovative organization in which staff members feel accomplished and constructive.

Though people don’t exercise it enough, simplification is a skill that you can learn and use. Companies of all sizes can embrace simplification, a perpetual process that people must integrate into moments and decisions at any of their organizations. Leaders can evolve into “chief simplification...