#199 How to Overcome Resistance to a Complexity-First Approach

Leaders may know the value of early learning, but teams may have built up resistance tackling the hardest, most uncertain work first. Instead, they chase quick wins that feel safe but create nasty surprises later. In this episode of the Humanizing Work Show, Richard Lawrence and Peter Green share how CAPED helps leaders make it safe for teams to go complexity first.

You’ll hear why quick wins are such an alluring trap, what causes team hesitation, and how leaders can use culture signals and skill-building to change the pattern. From Microsoft’s Tay chatbot story to practical tools like complexity mapping, feature mining, and reference class forecasting, this episode shows how to turn complexity first into the obvious, motivating choice.

Show notes, links, and transcript for this episode: https://www.humanizingwork.com/quick-wins-trap-core-complexity/