The power of clarity

One day, an employee sent a letter to his boss asking for an increase in his salary.

In thi$ life, we all need $ome thing mo$t de$perately. I think you $hould be under$tanding of the need$ of u$ worker$ who have given $o much $upport including $weat and $ervice to your company. I am $ure you will gue$$ what I mean and re$pond $oon.

Your$ $incerely,

Norman

The next day, the employee received this letter of reply:

I kNOw you have been working very hard. NOwadays, NOthing much has changed. You must have NOticed that our company is NOt doing NOticeably well. NOw, the newspapers are saying the world’s leading ecoNOmists are NOt sure if the United States may go into aNOther recession. After the NOvember presidential elections, things may turn bad. I have NOthing more to add NOw. You kNOw what I mean.

Yours truly,

Manager 

This popular story widely circulating in various clean joke sites in the Internet really made me laugh.

Communication should be clear, no matter what.

But from the story, we can see that the way the employee communicates with his boss isn’t direct and clear, yet it is successful in getting the message across.

A bumper sticker says: “Clarity is Power!”

I thought about this and realized just how powerful clarity can be.

There are many leaders who are unclear not only in communication, but also in actions and behaviors.

There are business owners who are never clear in their plans and actions. They mimic business jargons and hold endless meetings. They say something but do something completely different. They drive people crazy. Their good employees leave, but the not-so-good employees stay and enjoy the cloudy work atmosphere. This is not a good scene.

Clarity is the leader’s best friend. Make it simple. Be simple. Lead simply and be authentic.

It is a fact that leaders do not know everything, so they need to ask for help without feeling weak about it. 

When a leader pretends to know everything, it becomes stressful for everyone in the organization.

Clarity is power and the leader’s credibility should be clear to everyone all the time. Vulnerability is one of the most potent elements that can boost a leader’s credibility and trust factor.

How so? When the leader admits his weakness and his employees see his sincerity, the honest intention in his admission, they become determined in helping the leader to succeed.

Image management can be extremely stressful. And it is always better for a leader to be clear about communicating something than worry about his image.

Good leaders empower their people to help them manage the business.

Good leaders know they cannot do everything. Famous book author Jim Collins says, “Level 5 leaders have the humility to aspire to be the dumbest person in the room.”

I remember a brilliant business person half-jokingly told his board this, “If I am still the wisest person in this group, then I am in the wrong, group and perhaps I need to pick a brand new group.”

Good leaders always take charge and assume responsibility. Leaders do not dwell in indecision and wallow in hesitancy. Instead, they bring a sense of stability into the organization. Leaders can afford to be wrong, but they can never afford to be unclear.

J.C. Penney says, “Honor bespeaks worth. Confidence begets trust. Service brings satisfaction. Cooperation proves the quality of leadership.”

Keep in mind that leaders should always be very clear.

Mark your calendars. Spend two inspiring days with Francis Kong learning leadership and life skills as he present Level Up Leadership on September 23-24 at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries contact Inspire at 09158055910 or call 632-6310912 for details.