In 1775, British Empire was the mightiest force on earth.

Its navy ruled the seas. Its army was professional, disciplined, and well-equipped. Across the Atlantic stood a loose collection of farmers and merchants. No standing army. Little money. Fewer weapons.

From London’s perspective, the outcome seemed inevitable.

Yet six years later, Britain surrendered at Yorktown.

In early 2019, WeWork was one of the most talked-about companies in the world.

It was valued at $47 billion. Investors lined up for an IPO that was imminent. It felt unstoppable.

And then it all came crashing down.

Within months, confidence evaporated, the narrative unraveled, and the valuation collapsed with stunning speed.

It was marketed as the ultimate luxury music experience. Supermodels on yachts. Private jets. Tickets selling for thousands—some packages over $200,000.

But when guests arrived, the reality was a nightmare. A rainstorm had soaked the site. The "luxury villas" were actually disaster relief tents, and the mattresses inside were piled up, soaking wet. The gourmet meals were cheese sandwiches in Styrofoam boxes.

Reduce, reuse, recycle”is a rallying cry for sustaining our planet’s precious resources. Guess what? We can apply that same mantra to sustain our own organizational precious resources. The limited resources at stake are time, money, and people. By adopting these principles, we can turn scarcity into opportunity, creating leaner, more focused, and more effective teams who have the capacity to execute our new strategies.

We’re naturally wired to believe that adding more is the solution—more resources, more tools, more tasks…more complexity. Yet, as research shows, this instinct for addition can bog us down, leading to diminishing returns.