Purpose of clarity

JUNE 25, 2015

Ambitious leaders want to accomplish goals. All of them. Oftentimes, we want to accomplish multiple goals that are in conflict with one another, and we want to accomplish them simultaneously. Our ambition is well intentioned, but it needs to be tempered when it comes to providing direction for our teams.

Imagine a fairly typical executive assignment: You are asked to lead the turnaround of a declining business unit. Both customer acquisition and customer retention rates have declined. Without a clearly defined strategy, your team may start by building a new acquisition solution, by fixing the old acquisition channel, by developing better retention techniques, by doing a little of everything, or by doing none of the above.

Best-case scenario, your team is moving in different directions. Worst-case, they’re pissed off and frustrated along the way.

Even if every person on your team is talented enough for the majors, without clarity, your turnaround could make them look like they belong in a 5-year-old tee ball game.

Providing clarity around priorities and the definition of success is your responsibility as a leader. When you do that, you’ll execute much more efficiently and you’ll avoid confusion and frustration amongst your team, better ensuring you keep those all-stars around.