Addition by Subtraction
image: Polina Kovaleva via Pexels
The leadership strategy your to-do list doesn’t want you to know about.
We tend to think of leadership growth as an additive game. Learn more skills. Add more tools to the toolkit. Take on more responsibility. Acquire more knowledge. The problem? More is not always more.
Some of the most transformative development I’ve witnessed in leaders doesn’t come from adding anything. It comes from subtracting. Subtractive Development is the practice of intentionally letting go — of beliefs, habits, roles, and ways of being that no longer serve the leader you’re becoming.
Why Subtraction Feels Counterintuitive
Psychologists have studied this. In problem-solving experiments, people overwhelmingly default to additive solutions—even when subtracting would be simpler and better. When participants were explicitly reminded to consider subtraction, their solutions improved dramatically.
Our brains are wired to “do more” rather than “do less.” In leadership, that shows up as:
What else should I do?
What should I add to my calendar, my team, my strategy?
We rarely ask:
What should I stop doing?
What is weighing me down?
What could I remove so the best work can breathe?
More Than the Power of No
We’ve all heard about the power of no. It’s a vital boundary-setting skill. And it’s true—many leaders need to say “no” more often. But subtraction is a step beyond that.
Saying “no” happens when the question reaches you. Subtraction works upstream—it’s the act of removing entire categories of demands, obligations, and distractions so the question never needs to be asked in the first place.
A leader who subtracts effectively isn’t constantly fielding “Can you…?” requests, because the structure, the expectations, and the cultural norms have shifted. This is the difference between putting up a fence and moving your home away from the cliff’s edge entirely.
The Hidden Cost of Carrying Everything Forward
In coaching, I often hear leaders quietly carrying outdated roles, beliefs, and responsibilities:
A VP still playing “firefighter” from his early career (jumping into every operational problem instead of developing his team).
A CEO still measuring worth by 70-hour weeks, even though her best contribution now comes from thinking space, not constant action.
A founder who still says “yes” to every opportunity because that’s how the business survived in year one (and ignoring the chaos it now creates).
When we keep everything, we dilute the energy for what truly matters.
Why the Best Leaders Are Ruthless… About What They Stop Doing
Subtraction is not laziness. It’s leadership discipline. It’s the discipline to let go of what once served you but no longer serves your mission. It’s the discipline to protect your time, energy, and attention as finite, precious resources. It’s the discipline to create an environment where clarity and focus thrive — because clutter has been removed.
And it’s rarely easy. Letting go can feel risky. Which is why leaders often hold on until something breaks… energy, relationships, or results.
The paradox? Once the subtraction is made, it almost always feels like relief. Energy returns. Clarity sharpens. Space opens for the work that actually matters.
Practicing Subtractive Development
Subtraction can happen in many ways. Some perhaps more challenging than others. For example:
Delegating or eliminating tasks that are better handled elsewhere (or don’t need doing at all).
Letting go of outdated beliefs such as “I must be in every meeting to add value”.
Clearing mental clutter that is the inner critic, the perfectionist, the compulsive fixer.
Releasing identities that no longer fit your season of leadership.
Start Small, Start Now
You don’t need to overhaul your whole life to practice subtraction. Try this:
Identify one meeting, habit, or obligation you suspect might not be worth your time or energy.
Remove it… just for a week or two.
Pay attention to what opens up.
You may find that subtraction doesn’t just lighten your load. It reshapes your landscape so that fewer unhelpful demands ever land on your desk.
Because sometimes, the next stage of your leadership isn’t about becoming more.
It’s about becoming less. And in doing so, becoming far more.
