The Power Of Clarity: Unlocking Growth And Direction In Your Business

Every business experiences problems, they are a part of life. The issue with problems is that they cause confusion, disruption and instability, all of which can be extremely detrimental to the growth, culture and success of an organization. To tackle the inevitable problems that will come along, it is prudent to have a plan that will restore clarity to the situation and bring solutions. Clarity has a lot of benefits when you can provide it. Clarity avoids misunderstandings, brings understanding, creates trust and confidence and drives accountability. When everyone is clear it creates team collaboration, strengthens relationships and contributes to a healthy culture.   So how do we approach the pursuit of clarity? Here are four areas that when addressed will provide clarity for everyone.

The Problem

The first step in achieving clarity is identifying the problem. This may seem obvious but identifying the problem as simply as possible is critical to the success of solving it. Ask yourself “What happened, what went wrong, and what steps do we need to take to fix it?”  You can’t fix what you can’t identify. One tip I have learned going through this phase is to not resort to blaming, instead try to identify the root of the issue.

The Decision

The decision gives new direction. It determines what are we going to do differently. It will prevent us from experiencing the problem again. In the absence of a decision the problem will persist. At this level of problem resolution collaboration is a great asset. Getting feedback from trusted stake holders will give you a better perspective of how the decision will impact the problem.

The System

A system is crucial for clarity. It is a method of delivering a consistent outcome. Systems create an organization framework that provide consistency and as a result stability. The system is how the fix will be implemented. The system has a function, it is measurable, accountable and repeatable. The absence of order creates confusion.  

“…for God is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order. “ 

1 Corinthians 14:33 AMP

The Communication

The final step is communicating to the people that need to know what the system is, who will be responsible for it and how it works. If this is successful people will know what to do the next time the problem arises. Communication can be delivered in a few ways, a combination of verbal and written communication allows for the information to be personally conveyed and then revisited and referenced as needed in the future.

Case Study

Growth is something that we all hope for in our company but with growth often comes problems. When we were a smaller company, I knew everyone well, I was aware of the challenges that people were facing, and I was regularly praying for everyone by name. In the closeness of this environment I learned of some situations that would have benefitted from a short-term loan that I could provide, to help some of my team out. It was something that I wanted to do but as we started to grow, word got out that you could get an interest free loan, so more and more people asked for help! These arrangements started to put a strain on the accounting department. It also got tricky if employees who had a loan quit or were fired. We took the first step towards clarity and identified the problem – It was me! I wanted to help people but didn’t realize the stress that some of these unstructured loans put on our accountants. The system we developed was that you had to be employed for 6 months to a year in good standing with the company and that it needed to be paid back within 2 paychecks. We wrote this new policy and sent it to everyone. This clarity still allowed me to help people but was not a nightmare to manage!