If you’ve heard this directive at work, you’re not alone. Typically, it revolves around two main drivers:
- Budget Cuts: Financial challenges, such as reduced revenue, economic downturns, or cost-cutting initiatives.
- Profit Maximisation: Prioritising profitability for owners and shareholders by reducing operational costs, often at the expense of employee well-being or resources.
The other key factor that allows this toxic directive to thrive is:
- Failure to Manage: A leader assumes “doing more with less” simply means being ultra-lean, without delving deeper to understand or address the situation.
While there may be legitimate opportunities to trim non-essential spending, this is rarely the true meaning of “doing more with less.” In reality, it often translates to:
- “Your resource requests are denied, all spending is frozen, but we still expect you to deliver everything regardless.”
If this approach is enforced, the consequences can be damaging:
The Consequences of “Doing More with Less”
- Unrealistic Expectations
It assumes individuals or teams can endlessly increase productivity, ignoring the physical and emotional toll this imposes. - Disregard for Resource Needs
It undervalues the necessity of proper tools, training, or sufficient headcount, forcing people to compensate for organisational shortcomings. - Eroded Morale
Employees may feel undervalued, overburdened, and unappreciated, which can lead to disengagement or turnover. - Sacrificed Quality and Long-term Goals
In the rush to “do more,” quality, innovation, and long-term sustainability often take a back seat. - Ignored Root Causes
This approach addresses symptoms (e.g., resource constraints) rather than tackling root issues like poor planning, inefficiency, or mismanagement.
What to Do and Say Instead
Replace the mindset of “doing more with less” by fostering strategic thinking and encouraging leaders to evaluate what’s essential versus “nice-to-have.”
1. Focus on Prioritisation
Instead of demanding more output, identify high-value tasks or projects and eliminate lower-priority ones.
- Say: “Let’s review what matters most and ensure we allocate our efforts in the right direction.”
2. Empower Through Support
Provide the necessary tools, training, or team members to achieve goals realistically.
- Say: “How can we support you to achieve these goals with the resources available? What frustrations, delays, or other issues can we alleviate for you?”
3. Set New Expectations
Acknowledge resource constraints and work collaboratively to address them.
- Say: “Given our current capacity, let’s define what success looks like realistically. Let’s review delivery timeframes.”
4. Build a Business Case for Innovation
Use the situation as an opportunity to propose long-term, innovative solutions.
- Say: “We can deliver significant savings to the organisation over time if we invest in automating repetitious tasks now. While we may not save $XX by XX date, we can achieve larger, sustained savings of $XX by XX date if we innovate now.”
Why Great Leaders Reject “Doing More with Less”
Great leaders understand that this mindset is unsustainable and counterproductive. They:
- Recognise the limits of productivity and the potential harm to their teams.
- Avoid overpromising and underdelivering.
- Protect their team’s well-being and ensure sustainable performance.
While these conversations may feel awkward or confrontational, reframing them as “important conversations for everyone involved” can help you lead with confidence.
Lead with Impact
Great leaders focus on creating environments where teams can thrive, innovate, deliver high-quality results, and sustain performance over time—all while presenting alternative solutions to the business.
Let’s make 2025 the year we leave behind the toxic narrative of “doing more with less” and instead prioritise sustainable, strategic, and people-focused approaches.
