Sometimes, the more complicated your strategy, the greater the tendency to dig yourself into a hole.

For example, I know a recruiter who's trying to fill a sales job that pays $100,000 a year. In the spirit of providing the best talent in the market, he convinced the company to interview a candidate who earns more than $200,000 a year.

What started out as a simple situation has now gotten complicated. To reconcile the difference in pay, the recruiter will need to twist some arms and try to balance the equation by trying to tweak the company's commissions, stock options and other benefits.

I hope his deal goes through. If it doesn't, he may need to develop a flair for the obvious; that is, refer candidates who actually fit the company's salary profile.

Here are some easy ways to keep things simple—and under control:

1. Listen to your candidates and employers. Before you try to impose your will, see if you can understand their point of view. As in a marriage, it's sometimes better to be loved than to be right.

2. Choose your work carefully. Given the choice, I'd prefer to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly. And so would your clients and candidates.

3. Leverage your competitive advantage. If you're strong in a particular niche, stay focused on your specialty and sidestep activities that scatter your attention or expose your weaknesses.

4. Seek out the queen bee (or the king bee). If you're asked to interface with multiple decision makers, try to discover who's really in charge and make that person your primary point of contact. Serving too many masters can get you into situations that are confusing, unproductive and politically sensitive.

And above all, trust your gut. According to economist Malcolm Gladwell – author of the book “Blink” - human intuition has often proved more reliable than science in the pursuit of a good decision.