Keep It Simple

Your life as a leader has become way too complicated. Every day you are presented with an overwhelming amount of information, most of it entirely meaningless. Relationships are filled with drama, work is filled with distractions, food is filled with corn syrup and your field of vision is filled with video screens. 1 Corinthians 14:33 teaches, “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” The culture we live in was never God’s intention, and the hectic, bewildering, exhausting lives we lead are keeping us from the simple, straightforward existence that God designed.

This is why 1 Timothy 6:6-7 reminds us, “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” Can leaders learn to be satisfied in this world? What does it take to destress, deconstruct and simplify life and leadership so that we can be both godly and truly content? Consider implementing just one or two of these simple suggestions:

Say I’m sorry. Don’t hold grudges and focus on restoring relationships. The winner is the first person to apologize and go on with life. Apologies help heal relationships and denote responsibility. Saying you’re sorry gives action to a leader’s goal of connecting with and growing people.

Learn from others. You don’t know everything. Look at each challenge and interaction as opportunities to learn. Almost everyone has something they can teach you.

Avoid the drama. Overlook small matters and don’t get involved in petty arguments. Don’t play the victim and don’t latch on to fights based solely on emotions or politics. Being a silent observer is a highly underrated skill.

Understand priorities. There are a thousand distractions ready to derail your plans for today. Know what you need to get done, and who and what are important. Weigh each tangent against your priorities and you’ll quickly find many fall out of view.

Ask for help. In the Google age you still don’t have all the answers, and certainly not all of the experience. There’s no shame or lack of leadership in asking others for help. They’ll often surprise you with their willingness and knowledge.

Unsubscribe. Your in-box is a mess. You get far too many ads and far too many “newsletters” on topics that don’t help you at all. Consider one weekly communication that means the most to you and dump the rest.

No is a great choice. Learning to simply say “no” is a leadership characteristic that will take you places. Don’t let guilt rule your life. Saying “no” helps you set reasonable boundaries in life and work. Try limiting your “yes” to one a day and see what happens.

Tell the truth. We have become so used to lying that we do so constantly in little ways. It hurts every relationship, including our most important ones. And it ruins credibility. Tell the truth, and if you can’t tell the truth, don’t say anything at all. Another way to put this: keep your promises.

Listen. Leaders are generally quick to talk. Enter conversations with a goal of learning something new, instead of making your point. Don’t be the first one to talk and don’t be the one who says the most. Instead, choose your words and be brief. Spend most of your time with your ears open.

Live with less. Do you really need the latest iPhone, another motorbike, the all-you-can-eat buffet? Limit your personal shopping, budget for leisure and don’t socialize at the mall. If you live in the US, you are in the wealthiest 8% of people in the world. So stop already. You have enough.

Leave work at work. This is harder to do in the post-pandemic work-from-home age, but separate work and home life. You don’t have to be accessible to the office 24/7. Return the email tomorrow. Let the phone go to voicemail at family dinner. Plan quality time on weekends and nights to talk to your wife and kids.

Gain from mistakes. You’re not perfect. Instead of trying to cover up what didn’t work, learn from it. Be open about failure and look for ways to do better the next time. Stop thinking you can hide your mistakes—everybody knows. Let how you handle them enhance your leadership versus detract from it.

It’s not about winning. Life is not about more, being bigger or being first. Nobody has a championship trophy with them in their coffin when they die. Your most valuable asset in life is relationships. Invest in people—loving them, caring about them, building them up, encouraging them and helping in their development. That’s what winning really is.