April 2026

Written By Sam Totten

Simplicity

JOIN MEETING @ 11AM MST ON 4/15

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

SIMPLE ACTIVITIES

INTRO:

Simplicity is one of the most powerful and most overlooked leadership skills. We often believe that getting better means adding more: more initiatives, more meetings, more complexity. But in reality, the best leaders know how to simplify. They create clarity, focus their teams on what matters most, and have the discipline to remove what doesn’t. This month is about stepping back, taking a hard look at what’s on our plate, and recognizing that sometimes the path to better isn’t adding more, it’s doing less, better.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

  • Grid Symmetry Puzzles

  • Paper Plates

  • Writing Pens

INSTRUCTIONS:

PART ONE: SYMMETRY THROUGH SIMPLICITY

Step One

  • Print, cut and distribute a Grid Symmetry Puzzle to everyone in attendance. There are 4 different patterns. Mix them up!

Download & Print Grid Symmetry Puzzles

Step Two

  • Instruct the room to make their patterns symmetrical in both the horizontal and vertical orientations in as few moves as possible by either:

    • Shading in blank squares

    • Crossing out already shaded squares

Step Three

  • Give 3-5 minutes to complete the exercise, then spend time discussing the Part One Reflection Questions

PART ONE REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

How many added versus subtracted? Why?

Was subtraction simpler here?

PART TWO: WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?

Step One

  • Distribute a paper plate to every person in your meeting (make sure they have a pen to write with)

  • Ask them to write everything on their plate as a leader (meetings, projects, responsibilities, expectations, etc)

Step Two

  • Give them 3-5 minutes to circle 3 things that create the MOST impact

Step Three

  • Then, give another 3-5 minutes to cross out 3 things that could be reduced, delegate, or removed (this may be uncomfortable, and that’s the point)

Step Four

  • Spend time discussion the Part Two Reflection Questions

PART TWO REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

What was hard to let go of?

What are you holding onto that no longer serves you?

CLOSING:

To conclude your meeting, have each person fill in the sentence: “This month, I am choosing to stop ____________ so I can focus on ____________.”

 
Sam Totten
Next

March 2026