In Complexity, Minor Changes Can Have Maximum Impact

As a leader, do you feel frustrated when your team doesn’t take the initiative, does subpar work, and seems unmotivated? Do team meetings feel like a one-person show, with you steering discussions while others opt to play it safe?

Here’s an example of a low-risk experiment that can have a significant impact by establishing a virtuous cycle.

Experiment: Make a minor adjustment: speak last.

Rather than starting meetings with your own insights, ask your team, “What do you think I might be missing?” to encourage them to lead the discussion. Initially, there may be some hesitation, but over time, your team could begin to think more broadly, share new perspectives, and genuinely take ownership.

Or not.

However, you will have gained insights that offer a fresh perspective on the situation, and your next safe-to-fail experiment will draw from this knowledge.

Minor change. Major effect.

Paying Attention Changes Everything

Leadership isn’t merely about having all the answers; it involves curiosity about yourself and those around you. Jennifer Garvey Berger expresses this perfectly: "Paying attention to the sense-making of yourself and others, however, might change the course of your life." That’s a bold statement, but it becomes possible to shift the entire game when we take a moment to notice how people are interpreting things—not just what they’re saying. We stop reacting, begin appreciating, and unlock new possibilities for ourselves and others.

Insight

Here’s what happens when you tune in to the sensemaking of yourself and others: you get less frustrated, more patient, and—potentially—more generous. You stop sweating the small stuff because you see people trying. You notice their effort, their struggles, and their strengths. And when you start seeing their potential, something magical happens—they see it too. That’s a virtuous cycle. Your openness makes room for them to grow, and in turn, they inspire you to stretch even further.

Application

So how do you bring this into your everyday leadership?

1. Take a Moment Before Reacting—Rather than jumping to conclusions, take a moment. Ask yourself: What’s influencing this person’s perspective? What’s influencing yours?

2. Get Curious—Ask more questions, assume less. What’s going on for them? What are they trying to make sense of? What’s going on for you?

3. Widen Your Lens—What seems obvious to you might be a blind spot for them—and vice versa.

4. Encourage Growth—Spot the potential in others and name it. Sometimes, people need someone else to believe in their growth before they do.

Reflection

What would change if you did this more often? How might your leadership feel different if you leant into sensemaking instead of reacting on autopilot? What if you saw every conversation as a chance to expand rather than get through the day?

Being around people who are growing and evolving is energising. It lifts us all up and is deeply human.

Call to Action

Over the next few days, pay closer attention to how you make sense of how others interpret things without reacting. You might notice you have reactive or judgy thoughts, but seeing them diminishes their sting. Notice what changes—both in yourself and in others.

Create space for your greater self, deeper insights, and effective, wise leadership.

I’d love to hear your perspective. If shaping the future of leadership and leaving a meaningful legacy resonates with you, let’s start a conversation using this link:

https://calendly.com/desleylodwick/30-minute-exploratory-conversation

SPEAKER PROFILE

For many years, I’ve been speaking at summits, industry conferences, and smaller bespoke events such as workshops and retreats across Australia and internationally. I’m known for masterfully connecting research and ideas to ease work challenges. Here are a couple of minutes from some recent speaking engagements.

Dr Desley Lodwick Speaker