It’s Friday, and with the weekend ahead, I’m reflecting on my “leap of faith” lake house purchase and another lesson it reinforced for me about leading employee-powered innovation.
After the big clean-up of the cabin (thanks again to my brothers!), it was time to confront the big elephant in the room—or rather, the big elephant that was the room: How could I turn this rustic, 50-year-old structure into a welcoming lake house my family and friends would actually want to spend time in—a doubly daunting task given the town’s restrictions on expanding the footprint of grandfathered lakefront structures?
The spectacular view when standing on the old pine wood floor looking out to lake was not in question. But peeking through smallish windows and a low ceiling greatly dampened the attraction. Standing inside, my mind immediately jumped to the big, complex possibilities: permits, contractors, sourcing materials, design plans… the sheer scale felt overwhelming. I felt paralyzed, unsure where to even begin.
I felt like leaders I’ve coached over the years when facing a major organizational transformation—light-headed at the daunting, complex, and “full of unknowns” road ahead.
I started exploring conventional, but complicated, solutions. Could we add dormers to the existing roof? Maybe strategically placed skylights? I sketched, consulted, and worried. Dormers added character but only incremental light and view improvements, plus potential leak points. Skylights could help with light but not the panoramic vista I envisioned. Working around the existing low roof beams and ceiling structure felt like an unmovable constraint.
I was stymied, focusing on complicated additions rather than the core structure itself.
Seeing Things in a Simpler Way
During yet another head-scratching visit to the cabin, wrestling with these unsatisfying options, I walked my brother through the dilemma. He listened patiently and then asked a question so simple it was startling: “Why are you trying to work under the old roof? Why not just put a new, higher roof structure over the whole thing, open up the front wall, and then remove the old roof from the inside?”
It was an “aha!” moment. His radically simple idea bypassed all the complexity I’d been wrestling with. Instead of intricate additions battling the old structure, we could create a completely new, higher roofline and a soaring two-story wall of windows facing the lake. We could build the new structure first, keeping the interior protected, and then dismantle the old roof and ceiling from below.
The result was transformative. We gained a beautiful loft space and that spectacular, unobstructed two-story view I had dreamed of—all while preserving the cabin’s original footprint on its ideal location.
The simpler path—reimagining the fundamental structure rather than adding complex workarounds—didn’t just solve the problem; it created a far better outcome than the complicated alternatives ever could have, likely saving significant cost and future headaches.
The Leadership Lesson: Embrace Simplicity, Challenge Assumptions
My “aha” moment that afternoon at the cabin is a potent reminder of the power in “Embracing Simplicity” when confronting change. How often in our organizations do we get stuck trying to optimize or work around existing “roof beams”—legacy processes, outdated structures, or limiting assumptions?
We invest time and resources in complex workarounds, incremental improvements, or tools that tweak the edges, when a simpler, more fundamental change might be possible if we just challenge the existing structure. Like my brother’s fresh perspective, insights from those not bogged down in the day-to-day (often frontline employees or cross-functional teams) can spot simple solutions obscured by our familiarity with the “way things are.”
Embracing Simplicity isn’t about being naive; it’s about rigorously challenging complexity and seeking the most direct, effective path. The Ideas-to-Action Process provides tools and frameworks, like the Four Change-Levers framework, precisely to help leaders and teams cut through the clutter, question assumptions, and find those simpler, often more powerful, solutions.
Sometimes, the key isn’t adding more complexity; it’s finding the courage and clarity to take a simpler path. It might just open up a whole new view.
Ready to find simpler paths to tackle your complex challenges?
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