As you undoubtedly know, my passion is clarity. And I’m on a mission to stamp out the confusion that erodes profits, productivity, and morale in companies like yours. Today, I want to share a couple of stories that demonstrate the power of clarity. Specifically, the power of clarity to empower! These stories involve competent, dedicated employees. People just like you. People who could have been empowered by clarity. But weren’t. People who suffered, while wasting time, thanks to a lack of clarity.

A coaching client of mine recently bemoaned the fact that he had been waiting three weeks for feedback from his vice president on his marketing plan. I asked him what he had asked for. He had asked her to review the plan. I asked him what he needed. He needed approval to implement. He hadn’t asked for what he needed! That’s not clarity! And it empowers no one!

The next day he asked for approval. Guess what happened? She said yes! A little clarity would have saved three weeks! A little clarity would have made it easier for the VP to respond. A little clarity would have allowed my client to avoid the holding pattern. You know what that feels like. It makes you feel unimportant. You start to worry about the quality of your work and wonder if you missed the mark altogether. Meanwhile, you are on hold and unable to make progress. That is not empowering!

On the flip side, the quick ‘yes’ that he got once he asked for it, is clarity and it is totally empowering!

A new coaching client asked for advice by telling me this story. He was asked by his supervisor to “look into” the idea of supplying airports with branded hand sanitizers. Eager to impress, my coaching client and his team mobilized. They visited the closest airport, checked out the competition, called suppliers, estimated both upfront and maintenance costs, and assembled a complete recommendation for scrutiny by the executive team.

Rather than being impressed, his boss was furious; all he really wanted was a gut reaction within about 10 minutes, not a multi-week project consuming an entire team!

How do you think my client felt? Empowered? Not by a long shot. The boss’ lack of clarity left him feeling embarrassed and upset. On top of that, he had wasted tremendous time.

In both of these examples, the demoralizing, productivity-robbing culprit was a simple lack of clarity.

Picture yourself in each of these situations. First, with the fog that occurred, and second, with a clear purpose. Can you feel the difference? Can you see why each occurred?

Clarity empowers! Period!

When people know exactly what they need to achieve – what “done” looks like, they feel, and are, empowered!

What vague requests have you made lately that left others up the creek without a specific and clear purpose?

Starting today, empower others with clarity of purpose. Be sure they know what “done” looks like – how fast, how far, and how well.

Clarity empowers! Are you convinced? Please tell me! I’d really like to know if you agree.