When Good Intentions Go Extra: How to Help Your Team Stop Overcomplicating Everything

When Good Intentions Go Overboard: How to Gently Guide Your Overachievers

Imagine this: you ask your enthusiastic team member to get your lobby ready for a client visit. Simple, right? Twenty minutes later, they’re back with a professional interior decorator, a receipt for a velvet chaise lounge, and a tearful testimony about how the room “finally reflects its true potential.”

You’re standing there, feather duster in hand, wondering how a five-minute job turned into a Home and Garden feature spread.

You love their energy. You adore their heart. You wish you could bottle that drive and sell it on Etsy. But you don’t need a velvet chaise. You need the dust gone.

So, how do you maintain their passion and channel it into scrappy, efficient action?

1. Start with Gratitude and Clear Intent

First things first: thank them for their energy, drive, and good intentions. Then, paint the picture of “good enough.”

Say something like:
“I love your creative spirit. For this project, we’re looking for quick impact, not a masterpiece. Think feather duster, not full-blown renovation.”

Set the expectation that scrappy isn’t “sloppy.” It’s smart. It’s strategic. It’s the leadership move of getting the right things done without turning the living room into Versailles.

2. Be Clear About What “Done” Looks Like

Forget vague directions like “make it better.” Spell it out in real, specific, actionable terms.

Try:
“Here’s what success looks like: dust the surfaces, straighten the pillows, vacuum the rug. No buying furniture. No mood boards. Done is done when the space looks tidy, clean, and ready for guests.”

When you define clear finish lines, you give your team a finish line they can actually run toward—not a fog bank they’ll wander around in for three weeks.

See Also: Get Your Team Back on Track (Fast and Practical Tips)

3. Channel Their Extra into the Right Kind of Extra

Their over-complication? It’s not a flaw—it’s a feature. You just have to point that creativity and good intentions in the right direction.

Phrase it like this:
“I’m counting on your creative touch for our next brainstorming session / event planning / customer experience refresh—places where innovation really matters. For this one, though, fast and functional is the goal.”

You’re giving them a productive outlet to sparkle without letting one project hijack the entire team’s momentum.

4. Celebrate When They Nail It

When they show they can execute simply and well, celebrate it like they just won a gold medal.

Say:
“Exactly what we needed—fast, focused, and fabulous! Thanks for making it easy for everyone to move forward. You nailed it.”

Reinforcing that “done right and done efficiently” is worth celebrating helps reset what “good” looks like without dulling their enthusiasm.

What If…(Frequently Asked Questions About Overzealous Good Intentions

Even when you lead with clarity and positivity, you might still bump into a few bumps along the way. Here’s how to navigate the common “what ifs”:

What if they still overdo it even after I set clear expectations?

If the first conversation doesn’t stick, don’t assume they’re ignoring you—assume they think they’re exceeding your expectations. Double back with kindness and curiosity.

Say:
“I’m noticing we’re still going above and beyond what we talked about. Help me understand what’s driving that—maybe there’s something I’m missing?”

Then re-anchor:
“I love your initiative. And for this project, let’s stick closely to the simpler approach we outlined. It’s really important we keep it lightweight this time.”

Sometimes it takes a few reps before a new style of work becomes natural.

What if I want them to balance creativity and efficiency over time?

Give them a framework to flex their creativity within the boundaries you set.

Idea:
Create a “creativity window.”
“Here’s the base requirement. If you have time and energy after that, feel free to pitch one extra idea or small enhancement.”

This way, they scratch their creative itch—but only after the basics are handled. It builds discipline and keeps the door open for innovation.

What if I need some fun ways to celebrate “scrappy wins”?

Small, fast wins deserve small, fast celebrations!

• A quick shout-out in a team meeting: “Big thanks to Sam for making that project happen so efficiently!”

• A fun Slack/Teams gif: maybe a ridiculous “job well done” meme. (Extra points if it involves confetti or a breakdancing llama.)

• A quick handwritten note or a Starbucks card: “Thanks for keeping it simple and smart. Your impact made a big difference.”

The key is to match the size of the celebration to the size of the win: small wins, small celebrations, big momentum.

See Also: How to Make Better, More Frequent Employee Recognition a Daily Habit

Sometimes leadership means reminding your talented team that not every task needs a standing ovation and a Pinterest board. Sometimes the best work is the work that simply gets done—well, fast, and with enough magic left over for when you need it.

And when you do need a velvet chaise? You know exactly who to call.