What Complexity Demands of Us

You can lose yourself in two ways: by chasing every demand until nothing holds, or by clinging to a misplaced certainty, believing your approach is infallible. Both end the same, with fragmentation, decline, and disconnection.

The danger isn’t only distraction. Often, the real obstacle is pride or the quiet belief that we're already doing the right things, in the right way. This false security prevents us from asking tough questions, seeking input, or adjusting our course.

Drift rarely announces itself as a crisis. It appears as a calendar filled with initiatives and requests that seem important, while the central and steadier metrics of relevance, trust, and impact quietly weaken.

Jennifer Garvey Berger’s work reminds us that complexity penalizes those who are overly confident. To adapt in such systems, it is not strength that is most crucial, but rather the spirit of humility: the readiness to inquire, reflect, and revise.

That’s where RESET comes in. It’s a Monday rhythm to counter drift with humility and attention, and I’ve provided you with a FREE printable guide below:

R — Review your supervisor’s top 3 priorities. Which one does your role most directly advance?

• Team practice: Open your weekly meeting by asking: “Which of these priorities are we uniquely positioned to advance this week?”

E — Eliminate the noise that pulls you away from it.

• Team Practice: Create a "Not Doing Now" list with your team, tasks that might be good, but don't align with strategic priorities.

S — Seek input. Ask a colleague or mentor if you’re working in the right lane. Pride resists this step—do it anyway.

• Team Practice: Implement "priority alignment checks" where team members pair up to review each other's focus areas.

E — Establish one explicit action today that moves the strategic line forward.

• Team Practice: Have each team member share their "One Thing" in a quick standup that focuses on the single action that will most advance the priority.

T — Track where your effort goes. If it isn’t feeding alignment, it may be feeding drift.

• Team Practice: Create a simple "Priority Time Tracker" where team members estimate weekly time spent on priority-aligned vs. non-aligned activities.