Accelerating change and increasing job demands mean that everyone is feeling stretched. And this is particularly true for leaders as they manage the inherent tension between delivering on the  commercial outcomes for their organisations and meet the human needs of their people. 

And let’s not forget, leaders are humans too!

One of the things I’ve noticed is going on in organizations and with the leaders and teams I’m working with right now, is this sense of overwhelm around the change that’s constant and the fatigue around needing to pivot and adjust.

Oh! that word ‘pivot’ didn’t we hear that a lot during COVID?

Something that I’ve found really useful for myself, and as I coach and guide teams and leaders, is to use a guiding heuristic to help cut through all the noise and confusion around what’s going on. And the heuristic I find helps with overwhelm is, everything you need and nothing you don’t

I’m going to repeat that, everything you need nothing you don’t.

Now, thinking about what falls into everything you need is a useful way to level up your thinking and doing, your conversations and your meetings.

For example, what’s everything we need on the agenda but nothing we don’t need? Answering this can help prevent agendas blowing out and getting kind of ‘flabby’.

What’s everything I need to cover in this conversation and nothing I don’t?

This can help us prevent cognitive overload – when we just feel like we’ve got a mountain of information that we’re trying to process.

And I apply it outside of my work world too… what’s everything I need and nothing I don’t in my wardrobe?  what’s everything I need and nothing I don’t on this plate of food?

Asking and answering this helps us walk a balance between being effective and getting to the crux of the information… of the issue… of the meeting … and being as effective with the limited time, energy and attention that we have available.

Everything we need nothing we don’t.

How could that work for you today?