Complexity Isn’t the Enemy… It’s a Symptom
You don’t fix complexity by adding more clarity.
You fix it by removing things.
That’s the hard bit. Most agency leaders don’t have a complexity problem - they have a deciding problem.
Let’s talk about Mike.
Mike’s Business Was Busy. But Not Healthy.
When Mike came to us, he wasn’t in crisis. He was in something worse: slow, grinding stagnation.
Good ideas weren’t turning into outcomes.
The service offering had become overgrown.
Everyone was working hard. No one felt like they were winning.
They were delivering across multiple industries, B2B, government, creative tech, but the positioning was murky and the operations were stretched.
Things were working. Just not well.
When Complexity Becomes a Survival Strategy
Mike’s business had seen its share of near misses. Years ago, one sector crashed and they lost a huge chunk of pipeline overnight.
Lesson learned: diversify or die.
So they did.
Now the revenue was spread across consulting, delivery, advisory, and support work, covering multiple client types. It made them resilient.
But it also made them noisy.
No one could clearly say what they were best at.
The team was unsure what to focus on.
Sales conversations lacked punch.
Processes didn’t stick because priorities kept shifting.
Mike had built a business with too many legs and now couldn’t move it forward.
You Can’t Systemise Without Simplifying
Mike came to us because he wanted to streamline things. Get the business to run more smoothly. Build repeatability. Consistency.
He was already working on his decks. shaping clearer client stories, tightening offers, segmenting buyers.
But there was a structural issue underneath:
You can’t build good systems on a fuzzy identity.
If your offer is still a patchwork of legacy work, experimental services, and “we can do that too” proposals, systemising just operationalises the mess.
So we asked him the harder question:
“What are you willing to stop doing?”
That’s where the real clarity lives.
Real Process = Ownership + Simplicity
Mike’s team wasn’t underperforming… they were under-led. No one was really owning execution.
He had capable people. But good ideas weren’t turning into outcomes because the process was too diffuse.
So we broke it down.
Took key workflows (like follow-up, board prep, delivery reporting)
Turned them into short micro-processes (10–15 steps)
Assigned a single point of ownership for each
Reviewed weekly - a simple forcing function (read last week’s article!)
Almost overnight, things stopped falling through the cracks.
It freed up time. But more importantly, it built momentum.
People felt in control again.
Long Processes Don’t Get Followed
One of the first things we asked Mike to stop doing?
Writing long, complex SOPs that no one actually used.
It’s a common trap.
You try to design the “perfect” process, then no one has the time (or patience) to follow it.
Great process feels like a short recipe.
Clear outcome. Flexible path.
Let the team own the “how.”
That’s when people start engaging, not resisting.
Process Without Backing Is Just Theatre
Mike had the right intent. He’d documented a lot. But it wasn’t landing.
Why?
Because documentation doesn’t drive behaviour. Accountability does.
We helped him build in proper feedback loops:
Weekly reviews
Clear owners
Regular iteration
When your team knows the process matters, they follow it.
When they don’t, they don’t.
It’s that simple.
Senior Talent = Leverage (If You Let It Be)
One of the biggest shifts for Mike?
Hiring senior talent - not just for capacity, but for ownership.
He brought in someone with deep operational experience. Someone who didn’t need permission to lead… they just did.
Within 18 months, the business had stepped up a level.
More consistency. Better margin control.
Clearer visibility on delivery and ops.
Not because of one silver bullet, but because a layer of day-to-day friction had quietly disappeared.
And to Mike’s credit, he made space for that person to lead, even when it challenged his own instincts.
So What Changed?
Mike simplified. Delegated. Backed his team. And stepped out of the day-to-day grind.
He:
Cut the clutter in his offer
Installed real process ownership
Focused on repeatability, not reinvention
Built a leadership team with the autonomy to execute
The result?
Better margins. Clearer roles. Stronger culture.
And a business that no longer needed him in every room.
One Final Thought
If you’re “too busy to simplify,” ask yourself:
“Am I busy because we’re thriving…
or because we’ve let complexity grow by default?”
That’s the question Mike had to answer.
Once he did, things started to change.
If you’re ready to move from chaos to clarity, we can help.
Start by asking:
“What are we willing to stop doing?”
Then let’s talk.
