Kind Leaders Bring Clarity

Brené Brown has said, “Clear is kind.”

You have probably left meetings with a thousand ideas without clarity of action steps. Chaos ensues. Some people take control. Others take tasks—a few stand in the background. Work then gets duplicated. You and the team might hit the goal, but most likely may have had to take multiple unintended steps.

Imagine leaving a meeting or conversation with clarity. Kind leaders bring clarity. It unites people together. It invites us to celebrate wins. It builds natural accountability.

If you watched a last-second shot in basketball, that mostly resulted from a well-executed play. The coach will clarify the role of all five players. It starts with the in-bound pass and a critical setting of picks to open the player taking the shot.

What if we saw the teams we serve as a last-second basketball shot? When people have clarity, remarkable things can happen.

As a leader, you have a role in bringing clarity. I want to share with a few places you can provide clarity:

Clarity of the Problem

My friend David Hertweck says, “We have to learn to love the problem more than the solution.” Sometimes we jump to solutions when we need to clarify the problem. How do we clarify the problem? It starts by asking the question, “What’s the problem?” After listening in a discussion, it also happens when we state, “From what I hear, the problem is…” Agreeing on the problem directs the conversation

Clarity of the Options

Leaders make mistakes by coming with one option or ten options. Mike Keys, a mentor, shared with me the process of good, better, best. When you provide clarity to the options, often consensus emerges faster. Good, better, best means narrowing the options to three to provide more effective engagement and feedback.

Clarity of Next Steps

Picture leaving a huddle for a last-second basketball play, and the coach says, “Get open and take a shot.” Players would run all over the court. In the same way, leaders need to provide clarity of next steps. Next steps provide the pathway moving forward from clarity on the problem and options.

Clarity of Responsibilities

Outlining the next steps provides the pathway. Clarity of responsibilities provides the answer to the who? Successful meetings and conversations result in people knowing their ownership of responsibilities. It creates accountability and later on the celebration of wins. A lack of kindness for others leaves people in the dark to their investment. Give the people you serve a vision of success.

Where else can leaders bring clarity? Share in the comment section below.

Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash