Executive manager and philanthropist Sam Kazran is drawing attention to a pervasive organizational challenge: the loss of clarity caused by overcomplication and hesitation. According to Kazran, many professionals mistake constant activity for real progress, resulting in stalled projects, burnout, and unmade decisions. "I've watched capable people get stuck not because they lack skill, but because everything around them feels louder than it needs to be," Kazran said. "When there's too much noise, people stop moving."
Research supports Kazran's observations, revealing this issue is far more common than many realize. A Harvard Business Review study indicates 67% of initiatives fail due to unclear priorities and slow decision-making. McKinsey research shows workers spend up to 60% of their time trying to understand unclear tasks or expectations. According to the University of Texas, decision fatigue can reduce accuracy by up to 50% after repeated choices. The Project Management Institute reports teams with unclear ownership are three times more likely to miss deadlines, while Atlassian data reveals over 70% of employees say meetings often slow work instead of helping it.
Kazran emphasizes that this problem isn't caused by laziness. "Most people are working hard," he said. "They're just operating inside systems that are too complicated to support good decisions." He argues clarity isn't about doing less work but about doing the right work, citing personal experience where simplifying systems led to immediate improvements. "I once stopped a project halfway through because the process had too many steps," Kazran recalled. "We cut what didn't matter, and the team finished early. Stress dropped almost overnight."
Clear goals, simple language, and defined ownership allow people to act with confidence instead of waiting for permission. "When people know what matters, they don't freeze," Kazran added. "They move." He encourages individuals to take responsibility for clarity in their own work through simple actions: writing main goals in one sentence, limiting decisions to three options, cutting unnecessary meetings or tasks, asking clear questions instead of sending long messages, and taking five quiet minutes before making pressured decisions.
Kazran believes restoring clarity is a shared responsibility that doesn't require formal authority. "You don't need a title to reduce noise," he said. "You just need the courage to ask what actually matters and act on it." He encourages professionals at every level to pause, simplify, and choose clarity over chaos. Overcomplication and decision paralysis occur when individuals or organizations add unnecessary steps, information, or approvals that slow progress and increase stress. Often mistaken for careful planning, these patterns are a leading cause of missed deadlines, burnout, and stalled momentum.
