Leadership Fix: The importance of clarity

According to The Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) study, clarity is the universal characteristic that followers everywhere want from their leaders.

In addition, a lack of clarity is referenced as one of six factors likely to contribute to the misalignment of expectations when it comes to the employee experience.

Clarity works on multiple levels inside organisations. We often spend time asking leaders to provide it but those working in HR and Communications need to explore what this means for them as well. With the best of intentions, there is often an ask for leaders to be more authentic or more transparent. Both of these can be easily weaponised inside organisations because there has been a lack of clarity around what they actually mean.

In this issue of the Leadership Fix, we’ll discuss how broad terms can lead to confusion and how to make sure you get the words right for the outcomes you’re looking for.

The problem with big words

We use a lot of big, generic words inside organisations and are then surprised when there is an issue around alignment and understanding. In a fast-paced world, it’s easy to jump from one thing to the next without taking the time to explore what words mean to individuals, how they play out in the day-to-day of the organisation, and what it means for teams working together every day.

We seem to be drowning in a sea of assumption. There is a fear of asking questions for reasons that vary from being annoying to not wanting to stand out. Or for not wanting to be seen as stupid to being brushed off due to time-poor managers.

But for us to succeed at work, we need to make sure our relationships are working well. And clarity in our communication is key.

What does it mean to weaponise words?

Getting the words right for communication is fundamental to the success of the message but for those big ones, we need to make sure we bring them to life through stories, examples, and explanations.

If we share that we are going to be more transparent, we need to define what that means. For some people, that means everything is going to be shared across the organisation at every level, with every detail about financials and decisions made. This is what we mean by weaponising words. The word transparency then becomes something employees can use when confidential or commercially sensitive information isn’t shared: “You said you’d be transparent but you didn’t tell us about x.”

The same can be applied to the word ‘authenticity’. “I’m sorry if you don’t like what I’ve said but I’m just being authentic.” It can easily be used to justify poor, unkind, and intimidating behaviour.

How do you make sure you use the right words at the right time?

Make sure there is someone in the room with expertise in communication. These are the people who will be able to highlight where words might not work for the culture, the long-term activities, or the outcomes you’re looking for. Many organisations are reviewing their strategies, values, and priorities for 2024 so this is critical.

If you don’t have communication specialists in the organisation, reach out for support from experts or build in time to question the words used and discuss the negative or possible interpretations.

If you’re using words that can be interpreted in different ways, discuss what they mean in your organisation as a leadership team. Have time in the meeting to talk about what it means to you all individually but also consider what it means to people from different countries, backgrounds, and generations.

This is about time. Time to think about the messaging with the audience at the forefront. Time to consider the behaviours that match the words we are using and time to make sure there is understanding and alignment.

Clarity equals credibility

Clarity as a concept has different interpretations around the world so take the time to discuss what it means and looks like for your employees so that you know what it means for them. If it’s the universal characteristic followers are looking for, discuss what it means for your team.

In our own research into the credibility of leaders, clarity comes through within the ‘visionary’ trait. Having a vision is needed for others to follow and clearly communicating that is fundamental.

You cannot lead if you cannot communicate. This is an uncomfortable truth about leadership and an important one to lean into for managers and leaders everywhere. Without clarity, people will struggle to understand what you want them to do and where you want to go. Some cultures will be more okay with ambiguity than others but in general, we all need it to feel able to move forwards.

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