If you find value in these blog posts and podcast videos, it would mean a lot to us if you would share them out to your social media friends and community so they can also learn of the importance of Creating a Culture of Clarity.
Quick Recap from Last Episode:
-Karen Martin, author of business leadership book Clarity First, has said that the most important factor to any culture is clarity. (The link to her book can be found by Clicking Here).
-My word for 2022 is “Culture”. Build your own personal culture first (Meaning who you are and what you stand for)
-Your personal culture will contribute to all other cultures you try to build in your life.
–Clarity Factor #1: What do you want to tell them? Tell it!
-My wife was in public affairs in the Navy (Go Navy!) and I was in administration in the Marines (Oorah!) and she acts as the editor for my blogs and podcasts to a great extent because some people are better at clarity than others.
-When you are with someone, no matter who they are or what their rank or position is, when you are speaking with them, what is it specifically that you want to tell them? I mean, what is on your heart that you wish they knew? My advice is, tell it!
–Clarity Factor #2: What do you want them to hear? Say it!
-In communication, 100% of the burden is on the speaker, who already knows what they mean, and 100% of the burden is on the hearer, who could ask more clarifying questions until they find out what is meant by what is being said.
New Content:
Clarity Factor #3: What do you want them to know? Explain it!
This is yet another factor that sounds easy to understand and to do, but once you start engaging with another person, you find out how difficult this factor really can be. This goes back to the assumptions we talked about in the last episode and blog post.
I’m reminded of a person I worked with years ago who, although they were in the role of training others, they were not always the most clear with their messages and intentions.
When explaining things, they would leave a number of key facts out of their statements and then when you asked about it, or didn’t do it because you didn’t know, they acted like you should have already known it, because they knew it.
Let’s always remember, clarity brings solutions. If you want solutions, bring clarity. So, what do you want them to know? Explain it as closely and precisely to the way you are thinking it, using the same words and details that are in your mind. Doing this takes work, but it is this kind of work that builds the kind of culture you are looking for!
So, Clarity Factor #3: What do you want them to know? Explain it!
Clarity Factor #4: What do you want them to see? Show it!
Leadership author and speaker, John Maxwell, says “Leaders know the way, go the way, and show the way”. It’s been said that a boss says, “You go!” while a leader says “Let’s go!”. Sometimes, in order to be clear on something, we have to first show the way, otherwise we run the risk of people doing things as they think it should be done, and that does not always have the best outcome.
What do we wish other people were doing? Rather than saying, “How come nobody is…” or “I wish more people would…” how about saying, first to ourselves, “Do they even know what it looks like to…” or “Have I shown them what doing this looks and sounds like?” This can take us a long way toward being clear and building the culture we want to see and be part of.
Quick Recap:
Clarity Factor #3: What do you want them to know? Explain it!
-I gave you the example of the person who was not clear, even though they were training others
-Clarity brings solutions. If you want solutions, bring clarity. What do you want them know? Explain it as closely and precisely to the way you are thinking it, using as close to the same words and details as possible.
Clarity Factor #4: What do you want them to see? Show it!
-In order to be clear about something, we have to first show the way. Otherwise, we run the risk of people doing things as they think it should be done, and that does not always have the best outcome.
-Rather than saying, “How come nobody is…” or “I wish more people would…” how about saying, first to ourselves, “Do they even know what it looks like to…” or “Have I shown them what doing that looks and sounds like?”
Next Level Living 