Stop optimizing what shouldn’t exist.
AI is making this mistake faster than ever.
I’m seeing companies rush to apply AI across their existing workflows. The thinking goes: “If we can replicate this process with AI, we’ll save time and money.”
But here’s the flaw:
If the process itself is unnecessary, or was a workaround to begin with,
then you’re just wasting energy, time, and profits.
When you optimize the wrong thing, you increase complexity while lowering velocity.
A simple way to see it:
– High ROI potential + low cost/complexity → Optimize (big opportunity)
– Low ROI potential + low cost/complexity → Automate (quick win)
– High ROI potential + high cost/complexity → Redesign entirely
– Low ROI potential + high cost/complexity → Eliminate
Optimization is powerful. But if you don’t step back and ask “Should this process even exist?” you’ll end up creating drag, not leverage.
The real leadership move isn’t faster execution. It’s subtraction first, then design, then optimization.
You can quickly do a team-based root cause analysis of your operational friction points using the Entropy Survey: https://organizationalphysics.com/entropy-survey (free 30-day trial).
– Lex, your CEO coach
📌 P.S. Before you optimize, step back and look at the whole system.
