We are living in the age of accumulation. There’s always a new platform, priority or program and if you work in or lead a business today, chances are your week is governed by an ever-growing list of tasks, meetings, and responsibilities. Every challenge seems to be met with one default response: add something. Faced with inefficiency? Add a tool. Trying to increase collaboration? Add a meeting. Lost momentum? Add a new KPI, a new committee, a new initiative. I believe real breakthroughs come, not from doing more, but from doing less.
This is the foundation of what I call ‘red brick thinking’, or the practice of strategic subtraction. It’s the intentional, courageous removal of the outdated, unnecessary and misaligned elements that are clogging up our systems and draining our capacity. In a world obsessed with more, subtraction may be the most radical leadership move you can make.
More doesn’t always mean better
In my workshops with leadership teams across industries, I often demonstrate a simple but revealing activity using a LEGO® bridge. One side of the bridge is wobbly and unbalanced and when I ask people to fix it, almost everyone adds more bricks to the structure. Very few consider that the most effective move might be to remove the one red brick that’s causing the imbalance in the first place.
It’s a metaphor that lands because it mirrors what happens in most organisations. Complexity creeps in quietly for example a new policy, a safeguard, an extra person on the email thread until one day the system buckles under its own weight.
Research by McKinsey & Company reinforces this idea. In a study titled How Do I Manage the Complexity in My Organization?, they found that unchecked complexity from duplicated processes to unclear roles and bloated structures can quietly erode value rather than enhance it. Some organisations, simply by removing unnecessary layers and activities, were able to reduce personnel costs by nearly 20 percent. The report highlights a common trap: when leaders respond to challenges by adding layers of process or oversight, they often create more friction than focus. And just like that LEGO bridge, the solution isn’t to keep stacking, it’s to subtract.
Red bricks are hiding in plain sight
In most organisations, red bricks show up in a few familiar places:
- Legacy processes no one questions but everyone works around
- Meetings that continue out of habit, not necessity
- Technology stacked on top of outdated systems
- Overcommunication that creates confusion, not clarity
- Roles and responsibilities that have ballooned without intention
These red bricks aren’t always easy to spot because we’ve normalised them. They’re baked into “how we’ve always done it,” and questioning them can feel like going against the grain. But every red brick carries a cost, not just in time or money, but in decision fatigue, disengagement, and depleted focus.
The real work is in removal
Strategic subtraction is about designing your organisation, your team, even your calendar with clarity. It’s the leadership discipline of making space for thinking, focus, and work that actually moves the dial. It starts with a mindset shift: What are we doing that no longer aligns with our purpose? What processes exist simply because they always have? If we stopped doing this tomorrow, would anyone notice?
I often challenge leaders to apply what I call the Swan Vesta Test, named after the UK match company that famously removed one of the striking strips from its matchboxes without fanfare. No one noticed and the company saved a fortune in the process.
Maybe it’s time to start asking, “If we removed this one thing, would it really matter and would anyone notice?” If not, it’s time to let it go.
Subtraction is the strategy
In high-performing workplaces, subtraction amplifies outcomes. I’ve seen teams replace 60-minute meetings with focused 25-minute check-ins and suddenly find themselves with extra hours in the week. I’ve seen organisations cut redundant reports and unlock better, faster decisions. I’ve seen leaders who remove the expectation of instant responsiveness and watch their teams become more thoughtful, creative, and calm.
Dom Price, Work Futurist at Atlassian, told me that subtraction became a necessity rather than a strategy and to stay focused on what mattered, his team had to become good at letting go. Through rituals like the 5Ls (Loved, Laughed at, Loathed, Longed for and Learnt) and even holding “wakes” for retired projects, Atlassian normalised ending work that no longer served a purpose. This was a deliberate effort to free up energy and make space for what was next.
Less, but better
The case for strategic subtraction is clear. Not about minimalism for its own sake, but to make room for alignment, intention, and sustainability. When we strip away what no longer serves us, we don’t just create space, we create momentum. So, here’s your invitation … take a look at your next leadership meeting, project plan or even your personal schedule and ask yourself: What’s the red brick here? Then remove it and notice what shifts when you do.
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