Four Steps to Achieve Temporary Clarity
If you are a parent at home with your children, you have likely watched Frozen II at least five times this past month. The movie’s focus is “ The Next Right Thing.” In the film, taking clear action amidst uncertainty sounds like this:
“Just do the next right thing
Take a step, step again
It is all that I can to do
The next right thing
I won't look too far ahead
It's too much for me to take
But break it down to this next breath, this next step
This next choice is one that I can make.”
Thank you, Disney!
In our new world, uncertainty abounds. Known unknowns outnumber givens. Forecasting can be futile. As leaders shaping a new future, we encourage you to acknowledge that certainty is fleeting at best, while clarity is within your reach. While striving for certainty can be immobilizing, clarity provides you with the confidence to take that next step, make the next best choice, and instill confidence and calm within yourself and others.
In his blog, Wisdom Warrior #1: Certainty v. Clarity, Tony Zampella says,
“Certainty is an emotional state. It is informed by fear that offers a sense of safety and security in a predictable outcome. We grow to expect a specific outcome to hold fear in abeyance. Certainty rests on how and what. It requires that we know the outcome and that we’ve figured out how any choice will impact the outcome before taking any action.
Clarity is a state of mind. It is the result of an inquiry that clears the mind. It allows us to know the next step without having to know every aspect of the outcome. Clarity rests on a grounded sense of why. It gets you out of bed with a sense of deep commitment... Here, purpose is key.”
Are you getting out of bed with a sense of deep commitment? If you are, I bet you are part of a team unified by a sense of purpose. If you’re not, you are not alone. Maybe you’re struggling to trust yourself to make wise decisions in uncertain times, feeling extra anxious about the health of loved ones or the economy, juggling work demands with having children at home, or suffering generally from decision fatigue. If you are caught in the grip of certainty, we encourage you to loosen it a bit and make room for clarity. The payoff is purpose and peace and a shift from panic mode to being focused and productive. Here’s how to take the next step.
Four Steps to Achieve Temporary Clarity
Step 1: Craft a rallying cry
For the next 60-90 days, identify one priority that will unite the entire team. The “team” can be the management team of a company, the leadership team of an athletic organization, or the board of a non-profit. Have your rallying cry be purpose and values driven, something that inspires and invites others in. Our rallying cry is “We serve those we touch with empathy and excellence.” Maybe yours is enabling your people’s well being above all else or instilling innovation into the way you do business. Whatever it is, name it, claim it, and own it.
Step 2: Define your objectives
As a team, figure out what actions you can take to breathe life into your rallying cry. What are 3 - 5 buckets of work that you and others could organize around to move the rallying cry off the page and into practice? These buckets provide the arenas in which people can operate with clarity and purpose. For our organization, focused on serving with empathy and excellence, three of our objectives are 1) offer free easy-to-implement tools to existing customers, 2) curate best practice insights for busy management teams, 3) pour into prospects as if they are already clients. Maybe your objectives center around client outreach, reinvigorating interest in a book you’ve already published, or community investments.
The rallying cry gives shape to the objectives, and the objectives provide plenty of space for people to get involved.
Step 3: Invite people in
If you are a culture that believes problems are solved by a select few and answers come from the top, this one is going to feel uncomfortable. Now is a time to invite others in. If you are clear about your rallying cry and the objectives that will bring it to life, look to others to actively define how to get there. I assure you that your team wants to help. As you consider enrolling your team, make it easy for them to engage and share their opinions. Consider implementing a survey tool to easily capture everyone’s voice. Then listen.
Step 4: Pull up often, really often!
In times when temporary clarity is the goal, teams need to pull up often to stay aligned and connected. For example, instead of weekly status meetings, implement daily check ins. During a time when human connection is as important, if not more important than productivity, consider taking a queue from Brene Brown and start your virtual meetings with 2-word ”How do you feel?” check ins. The time invested in pouring into each other makes the time you invest pouring into the work more valuable.
As you read this, did the promise of temporary clarity energize you? Can you see and feel how taking the next step will breed confidence to take the next one? There is power in narrowing your focus and choosing to be clear amidst the chaos. There is also liberation found in shrugging off the coat of certainty. We hope you will join us in making the trade as you shelve your well-defined 5-year plan and invest in designing a 3-month rallying cry. And as always, we are here to walk alongside you.