Do you believe clarity can make a huge difference in productivity? What’s your favorite example of waste caused by a lack of clarity? Here is one of mine:
My sympathies lie with managers and knowledge workers. They are hard working, devoted, and always expected to accomplish more with less. And while you could say the same for other employees, the managers and knowledge workers face special challenges—challenges unrecognized and unappreciated by their supervisors, and even by themselves. To make these challenges crystal clear, I’ll divide the workforce into two categories based on one simple criteria:
I am so honored and appreciative that these amazing, busy people took the time to read my newest book and provide an endorsement!
A recent medical appointment began with a medical student asking me questions. Once the student finished, the doctor arrived and she was supposed to relay what I had said. The student failed. She hadn’t been listening with an open mind. Instead, she was listening for what she expected to hear. How do I know?
While the Covid numbers are rising once again in many places and we must continue to take precautions such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and avoiding small or crowded spaces with poor ventilation, things are looking up. The number of people who are fully vaccinated is rising quickly. Those who have recovered from Covid have some immunity and are feeling freer. Spring weather is making outdoor dining and events possible once again. As a result, business is picking up.
Good managers develop routines that help them work efficiently and effectively. These routines extend to their direct reports and allow everyone to meet expectations and minimize unnecessary decisions, indecision, and floundering. But there is one big difference between how good managers and the best managers do this.
In collecting endorsements for the cover of my upcoming book, The Power of Clarity, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon.
Everyone knows clear roles and responsibilities are important, right? That’s why we write job descriptions. That’s why managers work so hard to set expectations. That’s why smart employees make an effort to clarify those expectations. Clear roles and responsibilities matter! Unfortunately, we aren’t doing enough. These techniques simply aren’t adequate.
“We are more alike than different.” You’ve heard this phrase. From me, if nowhere else. But let’s get more specific for the sake of clarity. We differ in:
I have written hundreds of articles containing my best ideas, all of which are available for free on my website. I send a newsletter every month without fail, delivering my newest ideas to inboxes all over the world. I respond to emails and LinkedIn questions directly. I give free advice by phone to inactive clients and prospective clients because they need it, not because they are considering hiring me. I truly appreciate it when people take the time to reply with their thanks and reactions, comment on and share my posts on social media, and write testimonials for my website or for my books on Amazon. The social sharing and Amazon reviews are especially appreciated because my goal is to spread the power of clarity and those are great ways to get the message out. But something happened recently that caught me up short.