Beyond Shiny New Things: Embracing Practical Leadership in a World of Accumulation
“Sometimes the most meaningful thing you can do is accept that some things have no meaning.” - Dag Abaye
Maybe it’s time for a new car?
Last week, I had to take my car in for new brakes. While my car was in the shop, I had a rental vehicle. When I was selecting the car, I was offered a couple of "premium brands" for $5 more than the average price, but I resisted the urge and went with the "surprise me" option, which happened to be the least expensive. My rental car was an upgrade from what I currently drive, mainly because it's newer. As I drove around, I thought, maybe it's time for a new car. The thought wasn't practical, but it's part of a regular conversation I often have, leading to the accumulation of items.
It seems like more and more; we're caught in the lure of branding and the desire to express ourselves through things. I work in marketing, and I'm not going to disparage the craft, but the reality is that we need people to see our brand as the solution to their problem or the means to some form of self-expression. Brands like Nike have mastered this identity value equation masterfully. Shoe drops are huge for collectors – when shoes move from being a practical means of supporting human transportation to items, we want to collect, buy, or trade – branding has worked.
But as consumers and leaders, we need to be more prudent. It's time to make a shift. Rather than buying into a brand identity or story, we need to focus on efficacy, function, and long-term value.
When I got my car back, I was reminded that it's a very reliable car, has a nice design, drives well, has all the premium features offered in this model, it’s 9 years old with only 78,000 km, it’s paid for, I use it every day, and it is perfectly suited for our family’s needs. Fortunately, the high-ticket price of a new vehicle further supports the “practical” side of my internal dialogue. But let’s discuss another situation that may hit closer to home.
The Storage Unit
If I were to step into your basement, garage, or storage unit, what would I find? Let me share a snippet from a recent conversation I had:
Person: "Do you still have that storage unit?"
Me: "[Pause]… Yes, we do."
Person: "How long have you had it?"
Me: "Since we moved to Switzerland."
Person: "When was that?"
Me: "In the fall of 2011."
Person: "And how much are you paying?!"
Me: "Well, you see, it varies. It started out at X, and now it's Y."
Person: "[whispering math, not so quietly] … well, that's basically a down payment!"
Me: "Maybe not in today's market… but yes, it's a lot."
When I asked the question above, you can see I’m not judging you. But we live in a world where we've become collectors of stuff, often at the expense of long-term value creation, stress, and waste to deal with down the road.
From Shiny New things to Storage Closets – Practical Leadership
I haven’t stepped foot inside my storage locker in months. And I know I need to get in there soon to declutter this part of a previous life’s accumulation of things. I need to separate the sentimental from the practical value they bring.
I think that there are lessons from stories of my car and my storage unit that we can apply as leaders. In our organizations, we need to be more intentional about how we manage our decisions and investments. Here are a few practical applications for us as leaders:
There will always be shiny new things: Just because something is new or has a few new features, it doesn't mean that we need to incorporate it into our organization. Know what we need as an organization, stay focused on the goals and objectives, and determine what is critical to help address the gaps and help us achieve what we need to continue on the growth trajectory. Only add when it has a multiplying effect.
Don't be sentimental: We have to be willing to let go. Change is inevitable, and being able to cherish the past but move into the future is crucially important. Sentimentality can cause organizations to get stuck – and when we’re stuck, we get left behind. Sentimentality is why there are no more blockbuster Fridays.
Know when to declutter: Clutter costs you emotionally and practically. Like my monthly storage fee, when we create clutter in our own organizations, it can cost us. Patching together legacy systems, bloated organization structures, excess office space, etc. There is also a mental cost. When we are surrounded by chaos or clutter, it causes stress and that very stress can take us from focusing on the real priorities that can help us move forward.
Closing Thoughts:
“Less stuff, more life.” - Kurtis Graham
My declutter D-day is coming up very soon. I scanned my basement just this morning and realized that the accumulation is no longer serving me. What’s been done in the past is sunk cost. What is important now is to properly evaluate my purchases and decisions to ensure they are creating incremental value in experiences, value, or performance. If it doesn’t meet these criteria, then we need to be prepared to take a hard pass. If it's likely to end up in the trash or proverbial donation bin a few years from now, it's time to move on.
