My work just received a boost from science! “Your Brain at Work” by David Rock explains how brains function and how that knowledge can help you improve the way you work. What’s cool is that my advice for creating clarity fits perfectly and provides tangible tips that will not only make your brain work better but will also maximize the performance of the brains with whom you are collaborating. I could write a whole book on this, but let me start by sharing one important point.

The prefrontal cortex, according to David Rock:

• is where much of the heavy lifting occurs in our brains
• tires easily because it is the newest evolutionarily speaking and simply not energy efficient
• can only focus on one thing at a time
• must simultaneously select and retrieve relevant information, push away irrelevant information, and process whatever needs processing

That’s a big job for a seriously limited resource!

So how does uncommon clarity, and especially shared clarity, help? Here is just one example:

When I teach clients that there are only six possible outcomes from a meeting and insist that a group knows which of the six they are pursuing, I am giving them the tools they need to:

• zero in on one thing at a time (instead of the typical 5-7 at best)
• more easily differentiate the relevant information from the irrelevant
• get all the brains in the room on the same page, zeroed in on the same one thing
• get all the brains talking the same language and using the same criteria to separate the relevant from the irrelevant
• help each other keep their brains focused

The same is true when my clients learn to SOAR™ through decisions, solve problems, lay plans, deal with overload, establish goals, create commitment, hold others accountable, and more. Clarity works! And now I know better why it works!

Thus, if you want better results faster with greater confidence and commitment, the answer lies in creating the clarity that makes your brain more efficient, more effective, and better synchronized with the brains around you.