Moving from complicated to complex.

There is a subtle, dangerous shift that happens the moment a Turnaround (TA) moves from the planning office to the field.

For months, we live in a complicated world. We build 10,000-line schedules, map the critical path, and level resources. It is a massive engineering puzzle, and on paper, it feels bulletproof. But the moment you break flange, the environment changes. It stops being a mechanical puzzle and starts being an ecosystem. It moves from Complicated to Complex.

THE BATTLEFIELD SHIFT

As a leader, you’ve seen it: confidence isn’t the problem, mislabeling the environment is. When the pressure ramps up, the language shifts: “We’ve got this,” “This is routine,” “We’ve done this a hundred times.”

But a Turnaround is a “non-normal human function.” It is a high-consequence system where timelines shrink, risks multiply, and small issues compound with terrifying speed. When we label this “routine,” we stop paying attention. We default to process when the environment is demanding awareness.

THE CHESS MASTER VS. THE GARDENER

In the preparation phase, you are a Chess Master. You move the pieces and dictate the opening moves. But once execution begins, you must become a Gardener. As General Stanley McChrystal noted regarding the shift in modern warfare, a Gardener doesn’t make the plants grow; they create the environment where growth is possible. They clear the weeds and ensure the water flows. In a TA, you cannot “force” the schedule from a trailer. You have to “sense” the friction on the ground and adapt to the weather you didn’t see coming.

SHIELDING THE COMPLICATED FROM THE COMPLEX

To lead effectively, you must recognize that you and your crews are operating in two different, but dependent, realities:

• The Crew’s Reality (The Complicated Task): For a welder or a crane operator, the world should be complicated, not complex. They need “hyper-focus” to follow precise procedures and safety tolerances. Their danger is when complexity (parts delays, permit issues, scope creep) bleeds into their workspace and shatters their focus.
• The Leader’s Reality (The Complex Horizon): Your job isn’t to tell the welder how to weld; that’s micromanagement. Your job is to manage the complexity surrounding that welder. While they look at the weld puddle, you are looking five steps ahead. You are sensing the ripples, the bottleneck at the tool crib or the mechanical clash three levels up.

LEADING WITH AWARENESS

Managing complexity doesn’t mean abandoning the P6 schedule; it means leading differently within it. It requires a shift from “Do we know the plan?” to “Do we understand what is changing right now?”

1. Commander’s Intent: Give your team the “Why” so they can make the right call when the plan breaks.
2. Obstacle Removal: Don’t descend to dictate how a task is done; descend to provide awareness of what is happening around it.
3. Information Flow: Yesterday’s assumptions expire at 07:00. Complexity rewards real-time loops, not just end-of-shift reports.

THE QUESTION FOR THE LEADER

Process gets you to the starting line. Awareness gets you to the finish line. As you step into the heat of execution, ask yourself: Where am I relying on a “complicated” process, when what I actually need is complex” awareness?

In the high-stakes environment of a Turnaround, you don’t rise to the level of your
plan. You rise to your ability to stay aware while the plan is being torn apart by reality.

Process will help you start. Awareness is what keeps you ahead.

About the Author
Justin Yaassoub is the founder of All Around Performance and a trusted leadership advisor for high-risk and high-performance environments. With over a decade of experience in emergency response, tactical leadership, and organizational development, he brings a grounded, no-nonsense approach to developing resilient teams. Justin has taught leadership strategy at institutions like NAIT’s Centre for Applied Disaster and Emergency Management and continues to work directly with frontline and executive leaders across Canada.

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