What You Need To Stop Doing
What You Need To Stop Doing
PLUS: Why You Should Reject Normal
July 05, 2026
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
\- Peter Drucker
This week has been nothing but great servings of brain food.
Samira Cutts, our Head of Brain Health and Performance, has been in London leading a training course, and our Head of Executive Resilience, Keith O’Malley Farrell, has also flown in.
We’ve wisely invested time on plans for an initiative we’re beyond excited about, but as you’ll know only too well, life is about trade-offs.
So I’ve made the call to keep this week’s newsletter brief. It’s the right call, as leadership is often a subtraction rather than an addition game. So that’s this week’s theme…
THE SCIENCE
Psychologist Barry Schwartz spent years studying what happens when people have too many options. He found that past a certain point, more choice doesn't create more freedom, it actually creates more anxiety and worse decisions. Your cognitive capacity (brain power) is a finite resource. Think of it like your laptop browser - too many tabs open just drains your battery. Consciously closing them down allows you to conserve energy and direct it where it will have the most impact.
THE PROOF
People understandably point to Apple's product design as the reason it has become a trillion dollar business. I’m more interested in what created the conditions for that.
In 1997, Steve Jobs came back to a company selling more than 40 products - what looked like a great range of options was in reality a mess: consumers were confused and the company had no focus. He drew a grid: desktop, portable, consumer, pro. Four boxes. Everything else got killed. Apple went from over 40 products to four.
A year later, Apple posted its first profit in years.
Leadership as a subtraction game.
THE APPLICATION
If you’re going to focus on your priorities, you need to get rid of the clutter.
I love the brutal simplicity of management thinker Peter Drucker’s question - if you weren't already doing this, would you start today?
- Set a timer for 30 minutes.
- Answer Drucker's question.
- Let go of anything that falls into the ‘no’ category.
Letting go requires bravery. It will be worth it.
Go well.
J.
🔥 LIVE BETTER, LEAD BETTER
The best content I researched this week:
1. Just one article this week, but make reading it a priority. A common trait I see in clients is a self-limiting belief born from societal pressure. George Mack explains why normal is a dangerous myth, and your weirdness should be embraced.
Share this with a fellow leader - we’re stronger together.
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