Life – and work – seems to be getting more and more complicated. It’s harder to connect with others in meaningful ways. It’s a challenge to be certain we’re making a difference in what we do. Communication is faltering; to-do lists are growing (and growing); and information is bombarding us faster than we can keep up.

It gets more and more complicated, and I’ve found that one of the best ways to deal with that is to keep it simple. As simple as we can.

One of the simple reminders I enjoy is Seth Godin’s blog, and one of his recent posts has some very simple behaviors that are missing from our job descriptions. He mentions things like treating customers better than they expect, inventing a moment of silliness, asking why, and encouraging curiosity. These are all very simple ways to make work better, thereby making life better. They are all very basic, but also very important.

It’s easy to forget the simple things – be nice to strangers (and your family), treat people with respect, clean up the mess you made, be open to other’s ideas – but these simple things yield better relationships, stronger teams, and more effective leadership (and happier families). These simple things generally don’t take that long to do; they’re just easy to forget because they’re simple. But they make a difference. A huge difference.

To get inspiration for remembering the simple things, there are many blogs, podcasts, and apps that focus on keeping it simple. A client recently shared an app she enjoys that offers simple daily actions you can take to “help you thrive.”

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all we have going on. It’s easy to question ourselves and our work. And it’s also easy to find simple ways to make a difference. A huge difference.

What are the simple things you do that make a difference in your work, life, and happiness?
Click here to comment.

If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


For support in keeping it simple – and effective – contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.

Click here to receive The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog posts via e-mail and receive a copy of “Ending Leadership Frenzy: 5 Steps to Becoming a More Thoughtful and Effective Leader.”

Photo Credit: juhajarvinen/Bigstock.com

New York: 212.537.6897 | Pennsylvania: 610.254.0244