"Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it". (Alan Perlis)

I was motivated to share this quote as it was featured in this morning's 'Monday Morning Mojo' from Seth Kahan.

Seth told the story below - and I've included his story as I'm sure it resonates with us all.  

Definitely food for thought on a Monday morning.

…………….

The adoption of our daughter, Ruchi, introduced a new order of complexity into our household. Put aside for the time being all of the chaos that comes from any adoption or the emotional dimension of bringing in a new family member. Let's just look at the number of relationships in our home and how it grew. 

Before Ruchi there were three of us: my wife, Laura, our son, Gabe, and myself. Here are all the possible relationship combinations: 
1. All three of us
2. Seth and Laura
3. Seth and Gabe
4. Laura and Gabe

That's it. Four. 

But, now with Ruchi here is what's possible:
1. All four of us
2. Ruchi, Seth and Laura
3. Ruchi, Seth and Gabe
4. Ruchi, Laura, and Gabe
5. Seth, Laura, and Gabe
6. Ruchi and Seth
7. Ruchi and Laura
8. Ruchi and Gabe
9. Seth and Laura
10. Seth and Gabe
11. Laura and Gabe

So, adding one more family member introduces seven more relationship combinations. Imagine what it's like for a family of twelve! My point is, adding one more person increases the possibilities by a significant amount, much more than first appears. This explains why my home life is a circus (and of course there's the two dogs!), but what does it have to do with achieving a new level of performance?

As you seek to master more and more in your life, it is not just a matter of tacking on one more activity. Eventually you have to get your arms around the whole system, the system that is your life.

If you are looking to increase your performance in an ever increasing world of complexity, one way through is to stand back and look at the whole. There you will see the larger system and the patterns that give rise to new ways of understanding.

So, next time things feel like there is too much to keep track of, try taking a big step back and looking at the whole thing. You might be surprised what you see that will help you hit a new stride, or at least appreciate the circus ;-)


Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.
- Alan Perlis
VisionaryLeadership.comSeth Kahan - Visionary Leadership
PO Box 380 Glen Echo, Maryland, USA, 20812
Tel: 301.229.2221 | Email: [email protected]
© 2010 Seth Kahan. All rights reserved