Recently, I have been reflecting on this line from the Tao Te Ching, a 4th-6th century BC Chinese guide to the art of living:
“See simplicity in the complicated. Achieve greatness in little things.”
In a world filled with complexity, it is hard to find, or see simplicity. Instead, we are surround by people and institutions moving through waves of fragmentation, uncertainty, and volatility. All of which are generating confusion and frustration rather than vision or agility. For many, this all translates into meaningless work, economic uncertainty, and an overall mental health pandemic. In short, people are worn to the core, and then some.
Nevertheless, the idea of seeing simplicity and achieving greatness is still a worthwhile goal. The challenge before us as leaders is simple: What are the little things that we need to focus on right now in order to achieve greatness and simplicity when we are surrounded by complexity? I think the answer can be found in three specific areas.
First, we need to focus on mission clarity. As Brené Brown in her book, Strong Ground: The Lessons Of Daring Leadership, The Tenacity Of Paradox, and The Wisdom Of The Human Spirit (Random House, 2025), writes: “What’s mission critical? Mission clarity.” She later notes, “… I associate commitment with leadership. So I want committed people, not compliant people.”
Years ago, I remember working with a CEO whose team was struggling to execute their strategic plan. He shared with me that for his team strategic clarity equaled operational compliance. As Brown pointed out, “They worked from commitment, not to compliance.” I smiled when I read this, because I had seen it in action, and had witnessed the impact of this choice.
However, over the last year, I have heard many leaders say “We need to stay the course.” This is a good choice, if as a leader, a team, and the organization as a whole, we are sure that we are on the correct course. I wish more leaders at this time period were to talk more about staying on mission more than staying on course. Purpose and commitment are always the foundation and the pathway to achieving great things.
Second, we need to focus on decision-making. As Amy Webb, American futurist, author and founder/CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group, who is widely recognize for her work in transforming the practice of strategic foresight into a rigorous, data-driven discipline, writes: “In a world that has moved beyond traditional boundaries, the goal isn’t to get the future ‘right’ - it’s to get your decisions right in the present.”
In her short statement, there are many deep insights. There are two that instantly jump out to me. First, the decisions we made in the past created the reality we are experiencing today. Second, the decisions we are making today will directly impact our reality in the future. Therefore, we need to be very mindful of what decisions we are making right now, and how we are making those decisions.
For me, decision making is a four step process: preparing to make a decision, making a decision, executing a decision, and evaluating the outcome or results from the decision that was made. While the decision may be difficult to make due to incomplete data, or unrealistic expectations and/or time lines, the simplicity within the complicated is found when we realize that the four step process is as important as the making of the decision itself. If we follow the process and all of the nuances within each step, then the decision-making process becomes the source of greatness, the constant in the midst of social and economic turbulence. From my perspective, we need to teach the decision-making process in order to achieve more greatness in the present moment.
Third, we need to focus on the health of our strategic and operational networks. Again, I return to the writing of Amy Webb who wrote: “Organizations will need to navigate complex partnership networks while maintaining their competitive advantage.” Herminia Ibarra in her book, Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, 2015), writes about the importance of leaders have operational, personal, and strategic networks. As she explains, “The first helps you manage current internal responsibilities, the second boosts personal development, and the third focuses on new business directions and the stakeholders you must get on board to pursue these directions.” She notes that the strategic network “is made up of relationships that help you to envision the future, sell your ideas, and get the information and resources you need to exploit these ideas…. A good strategic network gives you connective advantage: the ability to marshal information, support, or other resources from one of your networks to obtain results in another.” Editors, Frances Hesselbein and Marshall Goldsmith in their book, The Organization of the Future 2: Visions, Strategies and Insights on Managing in a New Era (Jossey-Bass, 2009), write that the goal of your network is to build strategic unity, namely “the ability to create a shared point of view and common behaviors in an increasingly diverse work setting.”
From my perspective, when we build and maintain the aforementioned three networks, we are able to navigate the challenges before us because these networks help us be more competent, i.e. able to do the work, and committed, i.e. willing to do the work and better able to find the meaning and purpose within the work. If we seek to see simplicity in the complicated, and achieve greatness in little things, the best place to start is to create a future where we are more mindful in the present. And, I know nothing better to help us be more mindful than participating with an active and diverse network of people.
The world we live in is getting more interconnected, faster, and chaotic. Still, as leaders, we can focus on improving mission clarity, decision-making and the decision-making process, and the health of our strategic and operational networks. While these seem like such little things, they are, nevertheless, a way to achieve greatness and simplicity when surrounded by complexity. And right now, we need all involved to do these three things very well.
© Geery Howe 2026
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