Clarity is a crucial aspect of leadership. If we don’t know what we want, we cannot lead anybody else in doing it. Lack of clarity could bring superficial behaviors, taking things for granted, and ineffective communication.
When we don’t have a clear understanding of the final objective, we struggle to identify the next step. A lack of planning falls on our team, as well, and hits even harder. If we don’t have an open relationship with our peers, we risk having nobody telling us we are wrong. Mistakes accumulate. Things get worse. Frustration and resentment come into play.
Even if we are under stress and have limited time to make decisions, we should always dedicate focused time to understanding our goals. Having our destination clear, we can identify the steps and the resources needed to reach it.
When we have such clarity, we can involve other people in the execution.
One of the best ways to create clarity is to write. If we write down the problem we want to solve, we can share it and collaborate on it. It will be easier to ask for opinions and advice on how to better plan. It will become evident if there are gaps in the information gathered and if our understanding of the context is correct.
Writing is thinking, and putting into written words the goals we are facing is an effective way to create clarity.
Avoid leading your team to confusion, frustration, and embarrassment: write down your understanding of the problem and illustrate a vision, a strategy, and a plan to solve it. If you co-create this clarity with your team, you will naturally improve the ownership and the involvement of other people.
Do you want to lead better? Write.