Okay, so I wanted to talk about one more thing around complexity and about how complexity is a lot of the times us as leaders hiding behind a lack of mastery. So we tend to double down on structure, processes, templates. When we have not mastered a skill set, I like to equate it to Going to the gym. So let's say you decide you want to start working out like you're going all in it's your health journey Let's go and you decide you're gonna start going to the gym.
Well, you show up to the gym that first day and You are so overwhelmed there are a million machines, majority of which you have no idea what they do. Um, you, there's people moving around with just like such efficiency, like you're terrified to get in their way. You don't even know about what the heck body part you're supposed to be working on when and what intervals and all of that stuff.
It is so overwhelming and our brain hates this. Overwhelmed. Our brain is quite literally wired. To try and figure out to simplify in those scenarios, and so what do we do? We bring structure to the perceived chaos. And so we start downloading workout plans and all of these things. These, you know, we have all of the papers in front of us of like, Here's my 90 day workout plan and here's, you know, my seven day, um, exactly what I'm going to be focusing on, what machines, what reps, how long, like, we bring structure to it.
And so we go into the gym every day with our papers, we're ready, we know what we're supposed to be working on when, and it brings us a sense of stability, a sense of, like, we, we know this, we know what we're doing. But here's the thing, that right there is valid, but that is just step one. That is just us learning the ropes.
And when you're learning the ropes, things are more complex. You have to take the time to plan, to plan. Print out all of the schedules and the directions and follow and learn from those who have gone before you. But the goal is that in your health journey, you're not going to show up to the gym for the next five years having to print out all of these templates and tools to help guide you, right?
Your goal is that you are going to master the skill set. The skill set of understanding which parts of your body you need to be focusing on and exactly how to target those with certain equipment and what routines you need to be doing and intervals on those pieces of equipment. It becomes second nature.
And that is where you start executing with ease. Mastery. is what brings simplicity. But for a lot of us, in the corporate space, we celebrate complexity. We celebrate the fact that our processes are so complex. Because that must mean that our team and our work is so important. We celebrate the fact that our PowerPoint deck is a hundred pages long, outlining our strategy.
Because that must mean we are so important, and the work that we're about to do is so important, and so complex. But really, what that means is we have a lack of mastery in that skill set. It means that we are still in the stage of printing out all of the tools and templates to guide us. Because mastery is when you are able to go at something and do it with ease.
Because you understand it inherently. So I'm going to pick on strategy because that's what we've been talking about lately. If you have to have this giant, complex PowerPoint deck to explain your strategy, you are still at the beginning stages of mastering that skill set. Because the mastery of strategy is about understanding what makes up a good strategy.
It's about understanding that you need to have a long term vision. It's about understanding that you need to be able to pinpoint the biggest gaps between your current reality and that vision. It's about understanding how to relentlessly prioritize Which of those gaps you need to be focusing your team's time, talent and energy on.
It's about understanding how to put systems in place that allow your team to execute on that strategy. With ease, without you constantly being all up in their business, without you having seven different fancy workload management tools, Gantt chart, initiative trackers, that you spend more time managing than actually executing.
That is what mastery looks like. It no longer is some giant built out process. That you have to follow to a T to execute on. It simply is a way of thinking. It simply is a way of operating that has just become a need to who you are as a leader. So no matter whatever team you walk into, no matter whatever company you walk into, sure, you may have to adapt to their process, their strategic planning process.
But you understand how to do that with ease because you understand the thought behind it. You understand what you need to be thinking through and how you can execute on it. That's mastery. And that requires us to invest in our skill set, to intentionally put time, energy, and effort into strengthening those skills.
And if you want to be focusing on that this year, you need to be inside activating strategy. We're going to link that in the show notes below. Okay, guys, I want you to be asking yourself, am I glorifying complexity when really, this is a sign of a skillset I need to be investing on. Let's go do the work.
