On Clarity

September 23, 2009

Post filed in Tao of Leadership - With keywords change, clarity, credibility, integrity, Martin Luther King Jr., point of view, Tao of Leadership

When it comes to describe a great leader, one who can inspire others to embrace change, there is no single word that can adequately do so. We may have touched on one such word, Integrity, in previous posts. Credibility would be a close second. In the context of a business organization, however, there are many managers but few recognized leaders. When pressed into a situation of leading change, the new leader usually doesn’t have much time to establish his/her Credibility or demonstrate his/her Integrity. A good leader should have something else up his/her sleeve to quickly establish the Credibility. That something is called Clarity, not just clarity of vision but also of actions and expectations.

I have said so a while ago in a forum discussion at LinkedIn. The forum belongs to the Organization Change Practitioners group and a member, Jim Markowsky, raised the following question:

"What is the single most important thing a leader can do to inspire their employees to embrace change?"

As expected, the comments are numerous and varied. They run the gamut of leadership traits (vision, commitment, accountability, trust, …) and actions (empower, co-create, ask, listen, …). One participant even suggested Fire (as in "Fire the resisters"). The most popular choice, without mentioning the word, was Integrity with comments like "walk the talk", "do what you preach", "be the change you want" … One participant and I chose Clarity. His comment was short ("Explain clearly the why (or what for)."). Mine was lengthier. Since the forum is restricted to its members, I reprint my comment here in full for the readers:

"Clarity. Clarity of vision. Clarity of expectations. Clarity of actions.

With Clarity of vision, you (as the leader) articulate and Communicate better the end state and what it would take to get there. Clarity of vision generates a sense of Importance, Urgency and Excitement in the change initiative.

With Clarity of expectations, you delimit the contribution of each person or group, making it easier for them to Commit. Clarity of expections generates a sense of (willing/not forced) Ownership.

With Clarity of actions, you can choose to lead from the front (be a role model) or from the back (empower people) or both. Clarity of action generates Consistency and Trust which in turn make it easier for people to engage. "

Why Clarity?

Because the very first action of a leader is to communicate and connect with the staff. By necessity, the messages must be clear, concise and consistent in order to get through, hence the necessity for Clarity. And the best way to express Clarity is in a speech (or a memo) at the start of the change initiative.

It is not a coincidence that many great and inspiring leaders are associated with famous speeches. It is also not a coincidence that many of those speeches announced a "new deal". The inaugural addresses by the newly elected U.S. Presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933) and John F. Kennedy (1961), are fine examples of that.

But there is perhaps no better example of Clarity (or should I say impact of Clarity) than the famous "I Have A Dream" speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to over 200,000 civil rights supporters during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where he spoke of his desire for a future when black and white people, among others, would coexist harmoniously as equals.

According to Wikipedia, the "I Have A Dream" speech was "… a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement and is often considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in human history and was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars of public address."

That particular public speech in 1993 had all the elements of Clarity.

The Clarity of Vision:

"I have a dream …

… that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

… that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

… that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

… that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

The Clarity of Actions:

"… In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice."

The Clarity of Expectations:

"… But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."

That speech has defined the man, Martin Luther King Jr., as the unique, incontestable and inspirational leader of the American Civil Rights Movement.

As a leader of a Change Movement, it’s your turn to pen your own version of "I Have A Dream" with similar Clarity.