Clarity is Key: 3 Pillars of Success for High-Performing Teams

As the saying goes, clarity is kindness. But it’s not just kind, it’s necessary for employee buy-in, growth, and results. Currently, only around 50% of employees would “strongly agree” they know what’s expected of them at work (ClearCompany). 

On top of that, when employees agree that the leaders of their organization communicate with clarity, they are 73% less likely to feel burned out at work.

If you want your team to outperform, you need to provide clarity in 3 key areas.

Organizational clarity

The risk: If your team can’t tell you what your organization’s primary mission and corresponding goals are, there’s a problem. Tyranny of the urgent and each department’s priorities will quickly take priority and can lead to hours wasted on projects that don’t benefit your bottom line.

The solution: While your mission as an organization should never change, the strategies and priorities used to achieve your mission will evolve. Your organization’s primary goals at any given time should be clear, concise, and limited to 2-3 main objectives. 

Ensure these objectives are communicated consistently from top to bottom of your organizational chart. We recommend revisiting your main priorities in weekly all-staff meetings, through your team's digital communication tools, and during team meetings to ensure everyone is aligned on what truly matters.

In his best-seller, The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni breaks down the 4 elements of organizational clarity. Each team member should be able to answer:

• Why do we exist?
• How do we behave?
• What do we do?
• How will we succeed?

While the first 3 typically stay fairly consistent, the last question is where your goals may shift over time and need extra attention.

Leadr can help you implement this framework through our partnership with The Table Group. Together, we're bringing the book's groundbreaking framework to life, right within Leadr's digital workspace. Learn how.

Role clarity

The risk: If your team doesn’t see how their daily priorities align with your organization’s mission, they’ll lack direction, purpose, and drive. This ultimately leads to disengagement, and the most recent phenomenon, “Quiet Quitting.”

The solution: The weekly 1:1 meeting is a manager’s most powerful tool for alignment, clarity, and coaching. Every week, having a chance to align on the week’s priorities, remove roadblocks, and celebrate wins is critical for success. A weekly meeting also speeds up productivity and saves you time as a leader by providing one, consistent space for feedback, questions, and alignment reducing the need for scattered email communication throughout the week.

Another valuable practice, particularly for smaller teams, is for each team member to share their "three big rocks" for the day every morning. This offers visibility to managers without the need for micromanagement and allows leaders to provide feedback or course correction as needed.

Growth and development clarity

The risk: 94% of employees say that they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development (LinkedIn). This means having a clear development plan for every employee is mission-critical for employee buy-in and engagement.

The solution: Development plans don’t have to be complex or time-consuming. Instead, see it as “what is each employee’s best next step.” Maybe it’s a promotion, maybe it’s honing a skill, maybe it’s simply reading an industry-appropriate book as a team. The goal is to continually sharpen the axe for your team’s growth.

The importance of clarity can’t be understated. If you’re looking for more tips on maintaining clarity throughout your team, we have you covered:

• Clarity: A Critical Component For High-Performing Teams
• A Recipe for Effective Goal Setting
• Extreme Growth Happens by Getting 1% Better Every Day: 5 Steps to Better Goal Setting
• Effective Goal-Setting Tips For Each Enneagram Type
• Crush Your Inner Critic and Boost Your Growth: How Leadr Can Help You Take Control

Leadr is a digital workspace that makes it easy to create, communicate, and continuously align on goals from a high level down to each team member’s action items. Leadr provides the framework you need to gain clarity throughout the org chart in one easy platform. Request a demo to see Leadr in action here.