It’s All the Same Work: Why Complexity Grows with People, Not Tasks
The truth is, when you strip away the labels, what we call “strategy” still ends up being a collection of smaller tasks, decisions, and interactions that look a lot like operational work. Just with more layers and more people involved.
This morning, over a rushed cup of coffee, my wife and I fell into one of those conversations. The ones that start off as casual check-ins about our day and somehow evolve into half-debate, half-group therapy around what we’re each dealing with at work. You know yourself...
The issues were different on the surface—she had a personnel headache, I was dealing with a client negotiation spiraling sideways—but the tone was the same: pressure, friction, responsibility, repeat. At some point, I casually mentioned that I was still doing the same kind of stuff I was doing 15 years ago. Then came a striking aha moment, as I took a step back and reflected: “You know what? It’s not that different at any level, is it?”
