Trailhead Thoughts

“Stop what you would not start.”

- Jim Collins

Trail Map - Learn. Think. Act. ™

Eliminate to Accelerate

📚Learn

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a loop of doing too much?

The to-do list continues to expand. While the done list doesn’t seem to gain ground. Here is a 2×2 (check out the video) that you can apply today to eliminate the unnecessary and accelerate speed to impact.

Document the Current Reality - it’s been said that knowing is half the battle. This comes from taking time to assess your current state. Create your list by listing all of the tasks you do throughout the day.
Assess the Current Reality - Look back on the tasks you listed. Did they bring you energy or suck the life out of you? Did they create impact or not?
Establish the Desired Reality - What is a healthier mix of activity? Which quadrant do you want to spend time in?
Decide What Activities You Will Eliminate- Use your decision making criteria to determine what you will stop, i.e. those things that do not give you energy and/or are low impact.

Take some time, plot out the activities on a 2×2. Use energy as the x-axis and impact as the y-axis. A 2×2 can help reduce risk in decisions by looking at the decision through 2 dimensions, i.e. energy vs. impact.

🤔Think

What clutter or extra noise is holding you back?
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a long list of tasks or issues that need addressing?
When everything seems urgent, how do you decide what to tackle first?
What if you stopped doing what you would not start?

Reflect on how you can eliminate unnecessary tasks today to accelerate progress tomorrow.

💪 Act

Apply these strategies to eliminate:

Declutter Your Task List: group similar tasks and validate understanding why each are important, prioritize the tasks, and eliminate the unnecessary.
Choose the Right Tool: use a 2×2 matrix for decision making (think Eisenhower matrix or the Catalyst energy vs. impact matrix,) or use the Catalyst hexagon for problem-solving.
Engage Your Team: schedule a meeting and use collaborative tools to guide the conversation and involve everyone in the process.
Validate Understanding and Perspective: always ask questions to ensure clarity before moving forward.

Beyond the Trailhead

Make Monday Matter

Have you ever felt like your team is doing so much but somehow not moving forward? Frustrating, isn’t it.? But, you’re not alone. Most of us don’t have an execution problem. We have a clutter problem. Too many tools. Too many meetings. Too many “priorities.” There is good news though and it’s called clarity. Clarity fixes that.

Here are a few things that will help you and your team simplify and quiet the noise while accelerating progress - starting this week.

Communicate Like You Mean It - Most breakdowns don’t come from ill intentions. They come from assumptions. In your net meeting, try this:
1. Ask, “What did you hear me say?”
2. Repeat what someone shared in your own words
3. Make sure the right people are in the conversation to begin with.

Action - Pick a conversation that has been fuzzy and schedule a quick alignment check.

Get Organized Before You Get Overwhelmed - Big goals can feel like hiking a mountain without trail markers. Start by chunking your work into smaller clusters. Ask, what needs to happen, first, next, and last? Then prioritize like your sanity depends on it (it does!)

Action - open a blank document or find your own whiteboard and group your projects into 3 columns - Now, Next, Later.

Use Simple Tools to Make Better Decisions - You don’t need an MBA, a 300-slide deck, or endless Google docs to make solid decisions. Try this instead:
1. Draw a quick 2×2. Label one axis “energy” and the other “impact.” Try to focus your time, energy and attention on the things that fall into the high energy, high impact section.
2. Use the hexagon framework when working on solving a tough problem. It will help you to see the problem from different angles:
  1. What Problem?
  2. Who Has It? Who Is Impacted? Who Cares?
  3. Why Does The Problem Persist? Why Is It Critical to Solve?
  4. How Are We Solving It Today? How Will We Solve It Tomorrow?
  5. When Does It Need To Be Solved?
  6. What’s Next?

Action - pick one decision you’ve been avoiding. Plot it. Decide. Move.

Eliminate Before You Accelerate - before you pile on another initiative, ask, “what can we stop doing?” Simplify your process. Fewer steps = fewer stalls. The fastest way to move forward is to stop tripping over unnecessary tasks, projects, shiny things.

Action - In an upcoming team meeting, ask everyone, “What’s one thing slowing us down that we could stop doing this week?” Then actually stop doing it!

Adapt, Don’t Freeze - You’re going to hit obstacles - it’s just part of the climb. What separates the teams that thrive from the ones that stall is their ability to pause, reassess, and pivot without losing momentum.

Action - schedule some time for this reflective question, “What worked, what didn’t, and what will we change next time (or next week?)”

Execution isn’t about perfection. It’s about consistent, intentional progress. You don’t need a hundred tools or a flawless system. You need clarity, communication, and the courage to adjust your system as you go.

If you or your team could use a guide to help design your system for clarity, alignment, communication, and accountability - that’s exactly what Mike does in his Strategic Whiteboard Sessions. They’re simple (don’t confuse simple with easy), fast-moving, and designed to get everyone rowing in the same direction.

Learn more about scheduling a session or having Mike lead your next team event.