Agency Growth

The Ceiling of Complexity

A number of years ago I had the good fortune of being introduced to Dan Sullivan, Founder and President of Strategic Coach® (, an organization focused on helping entrepreneurs reach new levels of success and happiness.  At the time, I was struggling to break through the “ceiling of complexity,” a term Sullivan uses to describe what happens when entrepreneurs find themselves bogged down in activities that are boring, frustrating and exhausting. 

As I went through the Strategic Coach program, I learned that many of my feelings were encompassed in one problem — complexity.  All of my other problems were simply a by-product of this one big problem.  Is there simply too much going on in your life?  Are your professional and personal lives filled with “stuff?” Do you find yourself bogged down in “messes” of one sort of another?  Do these complexities have a negative impact on you and take the enjoyment out of being an entrepreneur?

The root cause of complexity lies in all of the transactions you have to go through to achieve your present level of success.  Each transaction adds more “stuff” and “mess” to your life until there is little room in your life for bigger and better opportunities.  I have a hunch that you have never had bigger opportunities than right now, but you can’t get to them because there is a “ceiling of complexity” that keeps you trapped inside all of old structures, relationships and personal habits that do not support your future growth and achievement.  The biggest reason why people run into the “ceiling of complexity” is because they lose a future vision of success.

Your response to the following five questions will help you break through the “ceiling of complexity.”

  1. If I could achieve only one new thing over the next twelve months, what would it be?
  2. How much time would I be willing to devote to this achievement over this timeframe?
  3. What existing “messes” do I need to clean up in my life in order to achieve this goal?
  4. What “stuff” in my life do I need to delegate?
  5. What new capabilities to I need to develop or acquire in order to achieve this goal?

The energy and action you take in responding to these five questions will allow you to break through the “ceiling of complexity,” moving you to a higher level of opportunity, achievement, growth and satisfaction.

What “stuff” is holding you back?  What “messes” are impeding your future growth?