Less Is More

Bauhaus (German for ‘building house’), was a German art school founded by architect Walter Gropius and in operation from 1919 to 1933. Bauhaus is where we get the term “form follows function.” Oversimplified (which would probably appeal to the Bauhaus), the idea was that clean and functional design was beautiful. Complexity and ornamentation that served no functional purpose were unnecessary.

Last week at the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) we heard several speakers talk about focus, margin, and reduction. One speaker in particular focused on the concept of the reductive mindset. It reminded me of the Bauhaus, as they strove to remove the unnecessary to reveal the beauty of the function.

Processes are like rabbits—if you have two, you will soon have ten! Processes are necessary for maintaining continuity, but they often become masters that we serve instead of tools that serve us. I’m straight-up stealing this speaker’s material, but I think we should all consider a few ways we can reduce the unnecessary in our communities and reveal the beauty of our vision and mission.

I love the phrase the speaker encouraged us to complete: “I wish we could stop _____.” You fill in the blank. I wish we could stop wasting time in pointless meetings. I wish we could stop undercutting each other. I wish we could stop this process or that process. I wish we could stop…

Giving yourself and your team permission to say those statements out loud will generate a list of things that are causing friction and frustration while stealing time and energy from the team. Some of the items will be ones you can impact; some you can’t. The next thing we need to do is divide our list into the things we can control and the things we cannot. Be honest.

Now, take the list of things we can control and look for the ones that are closest to your mission. Mission proximity is the driving factor in determining what you should do first. Also, be aware that by removing and reducing, you should be increasing revenue, reputation, reward, and readiness (increasing the 4 Rs). Conversely, you should also be doing away with panicking, pandering, procedure, and padding (decreasing the 4 Ps).

Finally, move from talking about it to acting on it. Try phrases like, “I suggest…” and “I propose…” to invite others to try something different (and reduced). As the leader, people will be looking at your habits and your processes to see if you are doing what you are asking. Spoiler alert: if you are unwilling to be honest and somewhat ruthless in your own life, you cannot expect others to be so in theirs.

I have so many takeaways from the two days of speakers. Many are confirming things I already believe and know, some are convicting me that I am not being all I know I am capable of, and some are constructive new ways to look at leadership and our organization. I am tempted to try to change several things all at once, but I must remember that this is not plastic surgery, where you make a sudden and drastic change that lasts a lifetime. It is more like a haircut, where you trim and shape and then come back and do it again, and again, and again.

We all can use a little reductive mindset now and then. We tend to collect things that have outlived their usefulness and are just weighing us down. What do you wish you could stop? Why don’t you? Great leaders know that sometimes less really is more, and they lead their teams to reduce the drag on themselves and the organization. Remember that our processes should serve us—not the other way around—when we are leading the Bison Way.