Underperformance to Excellence: The Clarity Advantage

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." - Peter Drucker.

In a 2017 article by the?Human Capital Institute , the estimated cost to the US Economy that you could link to lack of clarity was?$370 Billion?each year. This staggering number underscores the need to be relentless in communicating a crystal-clear vision and strategy to your organization.

Jack Welch?provides an excellent segue to my perspective on the importance of clarity in converting underperforming teams into value generators.

?"In the maze of business complexity, it is crucial to keep communication simple and clear. An organization's ability to learn and translate that learning into action rapidly is the ultimate competitive advantage."?-?Jack Welch.

I love this quote and consider it a?maxim for leaders.?

Let's continue as I unpack some of my thinking on this subject.

Disclaimer:?These are my thoughts and opinions, presented with a grain of salt and a dash of caffeine-seeking skepticism. Approach them with an open mind and no guarantee of epiphanies.???

Clarity Starts at The Top?

Clear, coherent communication must originate from the highest levels of an organization, where, traditionally, one expects the leaders to reside. Once attained, it must percolate through all the layers of the organization.

As a top-down endeavor, clarity can create a?domino effect?and become a unifying force when properly executed.?

By nature, clarity is?kinetic. It seeks constant movement; holding it is to underutilize its power.

This cascading clarity has a direct impact on team productivity by manifesting as:

• Better Decision-Making:?Clarity from the top becomes a framework for teams to make quick decisions, reducing cycle time and improving agility.
• Higher Engagement:?Clarity from leaders helps teams understand how their work contributes to the organization's larger goals. This knowledge can increase their engagement and motivation, resulting in higher productivity.

Leaders often Under-Communicate?

According to Harvard Business School's renowned professor John Kotter, leaders under-communicate by a?factor of ten . Furthermore, inconsistent actions by leaders that paint a contrast to what they communicate can rapidly erode the trust and moral fabric of the organization.?

Contrarily, when the entire leadership team visibly embraces and demonstrates the changes they advocate, it sends a?magnetizing?charge throughout the organization. Such alignment between words and personal actions by leaders boosts team motivation, infuses confidence, and reduces distrust.?

Walking the talk is a great catalyst, but the reaction eventually fizzles. Leaders need to?continually galvanize?teams by repeating the key messages. Consider the analogy of household big brands (like Coca-Cola) spending millions of dollars on advertising. We all know these brands and buy them almost every day.?

Just as they understand the importance of brand recognition, customer loyalty, competitive advantage, and new customer acquisition, leaders must?continually advertise the organization's imperatives?to capture and retain their team's loyalty.

Reinforce Clarity by Codification

Someone joins your meeting and asks your team these questions.

• What is the purpose of this team??
• Why does this team exist?
• How will you be successful??
• Can each of you explain your role on this team?
• What are the three most important things the team is working on?

If they cannot answer these questions satisfactorily, there is a further need to establish clarity and alignment to convert them into a high-performing team.

Codifying is a helpful way to reinforce clarity while enabling teams and individuals alike to become more efficient. However, one has to be careful?not to overdo?codification such that it weighs people down and creates more?red tape.

While rudimentary, some examples of codification that you can consider include

• Clear documentation?using confluence guides, team Working Agreements, Definition of Done, Acceptance Criteria, User Personas, Journey Maps, and similar artifacts can help build a shared yet clear and consistent understanding between teams.
• Process standardization?and good practices like change management, triaging protocols, code quality and reviews,?
• Process Maps?can standardize the team's understanding of customer onboarding, new member onboarding, procurement, and other business flows. Flow charts and Value Stream Maps are some commonly used approaches.
• Runbooks?can document (and execute) specific processes. You can collect various run books to create a playbook. These bring efficiency and standardization to your teams and improve response times. Typical examples are run books for deployment, access management, and various operations processes.

By codifying such criteria, the organization can achieve a "cruise mode" where everyone comprehends the mission, objectives, and processes, minimizing confusion and enhancing efficiency.

The outdoor clothing company?Patagonia?is renowned for its unwavering commitment to?environmental? sustainability and social responsibility. Their mission statement, "We’re in business to save our home planet,” reflects its core values of quality, integrity, environmentalism, justice, and being unfettered by convention" and clearly articulates their purpose beyond profit. This clarity of purpose has attracted loyal customers who share Patagonia's values, leading to significant market share gains for the outdoor apparel company.

It is safe to conclude that clarity is?not merely a "nice to have"?but rather fundamental in transforming teams into high-performing units. Clarity guides teams through uncertainty and leads to innovation, problem-solving, and value generation. Empowered teams foster ownership and accountability, which are crucial for a motivated workforce and for developing a?competitive advantage.

As we wrap up, recognize that instilling clarity within a team is not a one-time effort but a?continuous process. It requires diligence, commitment, and, most importantly, a willingness to adapt and evolve.?

I would love to hear your thoughts. What strategies have you found effective in instilling clarity in your teams? Have they worked?

I welcome your insights. Message me if you would like a conversation. ??