Organisational Decluttering - It's What You Let Go Of That Counts

According to the Collins English Dictionary "Declutter" (di??kl?t?) vb means to simplify or get rid of mess, disorder, complications etc.

Decluttering seems like a pretty simple idea but its ramifications can cut wide and deep. And while the concept has been popularised by Marie Kondo, it's domain still lies firmly in the home - ie: organising, arranging and minimalising things in the home.

According to The Minimalists, decluttering is, by and large, a farce. Why? Because decluttering alone doesn’t solve the root cause of your problem of too much stuff and why you collect and hold onto too much stuff. I tend to agree.

As a Minimalist Leader and Culture Healer myself, when I work with organisations on improving their culture, leadership and performance I never jump straight into discussing how to get rid of their stuff be it paperwork, broken equipment, hierarchy, policies and procedures, products or service lines or office space, that would be arrogant and negligent. Doing so would suggest that I might possess superior judgement about their situation which would only address the what - what is the stuff weighing their organisation down. Facing the what is the simple part of transforming a company and it's culture, after all we can all clean out the storage cupboard, our desk and the communal fridge or even be brave enough to srop or change forms of communication, meetings or procedures.

Instead I am more interested in starting a discussion around the why behind decluttering and minimalising. What I really want to know about and want them to explore with me is their why. Or as Simon Sinek puts it to "start with why." What's the why behind how it all came to be that way in the first place. Why do they believe what they believe? Why do they act the way they act? Why do they hang onto cultural norms and behaviours that are keeping them stuck in their current reality? Why have they invited me into their organisation? Why do they want things to be different? You see the why matters the most.

Using my management mastery model I invite leaders to first look at their mindset and their why before tackling minimalism and what they are prepared to let go of before a transformation to mastery can occur.

Decluttering is not the end result—it is merely a step in the process to mastery. In my personal experience and that of my clients - it's not that you instantly become more alive, free and happy by shedding your stuff, it's more that you need the right mindset first to face the reality of who you are and what you believe before you can shed anything.

As an organisation or team having clarity around the why - why are we here, why do we do what we do, what do we value and who do we want to help and become are critical questions to answer across the culture or team. Only then can an organisation begin to strip away anything that no longer serves them, to focus on taking right actions in a positive direction towards the articulated goals. Without getting the aligned mindset right first the company will no doubt jump to the next bright shiny program offered by the next consultant before too long.

In my own personal experience after realising that life had become messy, busy and cluttered I took the time to focus on who I wanted to be in the world and why. The result of which saw me downsize my life, build an eco friendly, sustainable tiny house and begin travelling throughout Australia in my tiny house on wheels. What I learnt through the process of letting go of 75 per cent of my possessions is that minimalism isn’t just about being conscious about what you bring into your life, it was largely about mindset, your beliefs, how you want to be in the world and who you want to become. It is then once the mindset is clear that we can let go of the stuff that no longer fits this picture and is weighing us down. (read more about my journey here https://www.alexandriajoy.com.au/about-aj

It reminds me of a concept articulated in the Upanishads referenced in this book by the delightful yogi and author Sri M.

In it Sri M shares a Confucius example: "When you use a bowl, do you use the empty space or the walls that surround it?"

Of course, you use the space, because without the space nothing can be received. If the bowl is already full, nobody can give you anything.

Organisations are much the same. It's not the structure, the organisational chart nor the policies and procedures that a company is known for. It is what's done inside of those boundaries and frameworks that matters most. The creativity, the service, the people, the vibe and the way they deliver and behave that counts. Therefore when a company is too "full" with all the constraints, with too much clutter - physical, emotional, mental - the rules and policies, the hanging onto old ways, that it become rigid, inflexible, inhabitable. It is then that you see employees begin to feel suffocated and controlled and they begin to leave in droves, or worse, stay and shrivel up. When freedom can only be found in very small cracks such as in one department or team, just like a human body creating disease, an organisation will begin to become unhealthy, even toxic and wither and die.

When the leaders of an organisation are brave enough face their reality, to examine their mindset and then consciously declutter, removing all unnecessary constraints and begin moving away from being a rigid formal culture and begin moving towards more autonomy, empowerment and accountability then you begin to see a shift of lightness, creativity, possibility and growth.

Articulating a clear why, telling the story of the way forward and aligning everyone in the organisation to that vision begins to free up the possibility to experiment, to try, to grow and expand, to implement, to collaborate, to flex and bend. And that ultimately is what is needed for a company not only to survive but thrive in a globally competitive market.

May your people be happy.

May your culture be healthy.

Man you do less and achieve more so that you succeed with ease.

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A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

Alexandria Joy aka ‘AJ’ has spent over two decades helping leaders and managers heal their culture to find their sweet spot where they can do less and achieve more. As CEO of UQ Power, a biophiliac and a culture scientist, she believes the old approaches to culture change and organisational behaviour no longer work and instead there is a simple science to unlocking the power of your people.  

AJ argues that organisations are possibly the world’s most under utilised resource for solving many human, economic and environmental challenges. And now she’s on a mission to accelerate the evolution of a more conscious world through the vehicle of culture. 

In 2018 downsized her name, her life and her business and now lives and travels throughout Australia in tiny house on wheels. She discovered when you focus your mindset, heal from the busyness disease, remove chaos and clutter you begin to feel lighter, freer, more alive and more able to UP Yourself and your Culture.  

You can follow, find or friend AJ here

 www.alexandriajoy.com.au www.thejoybox.com.au www.uqpower.com.au

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