Doing more with less? You’re not imagining it.

"Do more with less."

Once upon a time, that meant being smart and scrappy. It was a meaningful motivation slogan. 

Now it often means…

• Fewer people

• Shrinking budgets

• Tighter timelines

• And somehow, more meetings... bless them...

If you’re feeling the pinch, you’re not the only one.

Lately I’ve been in rooms with brilliant leaders who are holding it together with experience, duct tape, and a fierce sense of responsibility.

They’re not failing.
They’re making hard calls, protecting their teams, and keeping things moving - just with less margin and less spark. Which sucks. 

You might be seeing signs like:
 

• More silence in meetings

• That ‘flat’ feeling across the team

• More reaction, less reflection

• Trade-off after trade-off

This isn’t a failure of leadership.
It’s a sign the system is stretched - and you’re carrying more of the load than ever.

Honestly I feel for you. I'm hearing so much about burnout and overwhelm. But amongst alllllll of the woes, there are a few brave leaders that are stepping up, digging in and refusing to accept the status quo.

 

Here’s what I want you to know:
 

• You’re not underperforming. You’re leading under pressure no one prepared you for

• You don’t have to do it perfectly

• Small, human choices still matter. In fact right now is when they matter the most

When things get tight, capacity isn’t just about headcount. It’s about energy. Creativity. Trust. And those things don’t replenish themselves in a spreadsheet.
 

So if you’re in that zone of just trying to get through the week… I see you.
And if you’ve done even one thing to protect your people’s spark lately—take the win.

Try this: Pick one thing to stop doing this week

Not forever. Just long enough to free up a little breathing space. Although there are things I've experimented with dropping for a little while that no longer exist!
 

• One less meeting

• One less update

• One less piece of pressure you’re carrying 

• One less meaningless roadblock that's sucking the life out of you

Question for you:
 

What’s one thing you're going to ditch this week?