Leadership and Simplicity
Leadership presents the most complex human situations, problems, and dilemmas. But leaders must observe the greatest diligence to not fall into the trap of becoming personally complicated by the challenges of our work. The spiritual discipline of simplicity offers a great safeguard.
Usually, when pastors or spiritual directors talk about the discipline of simplicity, they wind up talking about money and possessions. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus especially urges us to not worry about money and possessions (Matthew 6:25). Nevertheless, the spiritual discipline of simplicity goes far beyond merely taking a vow of poverty or limiting yourself to 100 possessions or some other practice that humbles or limits us. Rather, simplicity is the virtue of being a WYSIWYG—What You See Is What You Get. Simplicity means not being a complicated person.
One of the highest compliments you can pay someone in Spanish is to say that they are “sencillo” or “simple.” Perhaps in America, that might not feel like a compliment. Who wants to be seen as a simpleton, incapable of understanding complex thoughts? But that’s not what sencillo means. It means to be sincere. Honest. Transparent. It means you don’t have any psychological complexes like an inferiority complex or an Oedipus complex or a God complex or a savior complex or a martyr complex or a guilt complex or some other psychological malady that distorts your behavior and causes you to behave in a complicated manner.
In the 1960s, the psychoanalytic approach called “transactional analysis” became very popular in America. It helped people recognize when they were either playing mind games or “being played” with mind games. Eric Berne wrote an interesting book called Games People Play that offered a comprehensive list of the mind games people play instead of living a simple life and behaving in a simple manner.
Jesus, in contrast, said, “ Do not swear an oath … all you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37 NIV). Lawyers might require more complicated discourse for contracts and negotiations, but in our personal dealings with each other—if we want to have any friends—clarity and transparency and the old-fashioned keeping of our promises offers a simple way to avoid playing mind games and living simply.
Organizational leaders will find that transparent communication creates trust. If people sense that their leaders play mind games, or that they try to manipulate people with tricky situations, or have ulterior motives or hidden agendas, they will justifiably feel suspicious about organizational messaging. What does the leadership really want? Should we reward them if they try to trick us into doing what they want?
Undoubtedly, situations arise in contexts of conflict that require astute communication and political theatre and even surreptitiousness. In John 7:1, Jesus Himself engaged in some tricky communications and furtive movements because “the Jewish leaders … were looking for a way to kill him” (NIV). Communications with hostile people, however, do not provide a good model for communicating with our own colleagues and “followers.” If leaders want trust, they must model trust. That same truth holds not only for coworkers, but also for customers and clients.
Leaders who cultivate simplicity as a personal virtue reap a double reward, benefiting personally as well as professionally and organizationally. Not only does practicing the discipline of simplicity help us achieve our organizational goals, it protects us from many kinds of errors.