One of the greatest management writers, Warren Bennis, once remarked that “leaders bring clarity.” Perhaps one of the most important ways this happens is identifying what a company stands for (values) and how it’s going to make money (strategy). The problem is that everyone in the organization may bring their own interpretation as to what the CEO actually meant.
If you want to be sure that everyone is truly on the same page regarding values and strategy, this short blog post from HBR suggests leaders be as clear about what might be called the other side of clarity; or in other words, being as clear about what is not meant, as what is. Take a few minutes to understand “The Power of Defining What Your Company Isn’t.”
As a leader of your organization, do you explore with depth the clarity around your mission? I ask CEOs who I coach, to bring clarity to three years out. For example, on December 31, 2022, how do I articulate where we will be organizationally and, more importantly, how will I FEEL about these accomplishments? If we can experience these feelings, we will have much more emotional courage to achieve these outcomes and will reduce the risk of not achieving them.
Now ask yourself…..
Am I a Leader?
