I recently had a delightful conversation with an executive whom I’ve never met. She bought copies of The Clarity Papers for her entire Board and leadership team and just completed a two-day offsite during which they used many of my techniques and frames from the book. I wish I had recorded her comments. I didn’t, of course, but I can share what I remember. I hope her comments give you some great ideas and inspire you to embrace the power of clarity. So here we go, in no particular order:
The death of John McCain this week has resulted in a flood of generous tributes, as it should. One recurring theme is his commitment to his country. Regardless of whether they agreed with John McCain’s positions or not, most people are praising him for putting the good of the country ahead of his personal interests. They speak of him as a dying breed. The end of an era. This is what disturbs me.
August. Our last full month of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. This got me thinking back to my corporate days. Sitting in my climate controlled office. Not always anywhere near a window. Sometimes I forgot what month it was. Not in relation to all my deadlines, of course. Just in relation to the seasons. It was always the same inside. When I left in the evening, there were times when I was actually surprised by what I encountered. Darkness vs. light. Heat vs. frost. Seasons slipped by as quietly as the fair weather clouds. Does this happen to you? In an era where the word mindfulness is never more than a few dozen words away, it really shouldn’t. But does it?
Wisteria is a climbing vine that drapes big, gorgeous clusters of lilac-colored flowers like a cascading waterfall. It is fairly easy to grow, so much so that it can get out of control and spread wildly. However, did you know that Chinese wisteria twines counterclockwise as it climbs and Japanese wisteria climbs clockwise? If you try to train these two plants in the same direction, you will succeed brilliantly with one and fail dismally with the other. The same is true of people. Your employees are as individual as the multitude of plants that thrive in widely varying conditions. Techniques that help one person thrive drive another person crazy. I think you know this as well as I do.
Are you one of those people who wants to make all the right decisions? Suppose you were about to buy something like a car or a TV, would you do your homework? Would you ask your friends, search for options online, seek recommendations from resources such as Consumer Reports, and read all the opinions you can find? Would you test drive several cars and carefully compare their features, maybe even right down to the seat-back pockets, number of USB ports, and mpg to the tenth of a mile?
A headline caught my eye the other day. I don’t remember where or what it said. All I remember is that it contained the phrase “actionable strategy.” And it has bothered me ever since. So what could “actionable strategy” possibly mean? Perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to have a strategy that is not actionable?
Increased clarity is the best option for improving profits, performance, and engagement. The reason more leaders aren’t pursuing greater clarity is they don’t recognize the lack of clarity that permeates their organizations and consumes their profit. A good part of that problem starts with the belief that they themselves are clearer than they really are. Where do you stand?
The Roto-Rooter man was standing on the downhill side of the overflowing sewer access plug in front of our condo. He thought nothing of being in the flow and dropping his tools at his feet. I thought a lot about it. Eeww!
Of all the corporate certificates I’ve ever received, the one I’ve valued above all others is the one that reads “The Person Most Likely To Dispute Recognized Authorities.” I received this honor for my relentless questions about the evidence and conclusions presented from studies by PhDs representing venerable institutions such as Harvard and Stanford. Looking back, I suppose I was completely exasperating.