Concrete clarity beats abstract dreams.
You are hungry. You need food. You think a couple of apples would suffice. You pass on a hundred bucks to your clerk and ask him to do the shopping immediately.
There are so many ways in which you can pass on your requirements and get the work done.
1. “Get me apples.” (Clarity level – 50%) ❌
2. “Buy some fruits.” (Clarity level – 25%) ❌
3. “Get me something to eat.” (Clarity level – 0%) ❌
The clerk should be rightfully confused because your statement lacks clarity.
What fruit should I buy? How many apples? Should I spend all the hundred? There’s a sandwich. Should I buy that? Is he going to eat now? Red apple or green apple?
If your clerk is reasonably smart, he asks for the details, to get the desired outcome. But not many subordinates do that. So, they might buy more apples than necessary or a pineapple that takes time to slice after properly cutting the greeny crown, or in the worst case, not knowing the urgency, they might come empty-handed after visiting a couple of stores.
Consider this statement that offers clarity.
“Hi, Mr.Greg. I am extremely hungry, and I need to eat right away. A couple of green apples would do good. Could you please get it for me? Take this hundred bucks. I’d even settle for a sandwich but prioritize apple. Don’t wander off, Greg. I am about to faint.”
How many apples? – 2. ✅
Green or red? – Green. ✅
Should I spend the entire hundred? – No. ✅
What if I don’t get apples? – Relax. ✅
What else can I buy? – Sandwich. ✅
What if I don’t buy a sandwich? – Anything works. ✅
Why does anything work? – Because my boss is about to faint. ✅
Any more doubts? – Quit wasting time and act fast. ✅
See how that works?
My former manager had high expectations of us. But never had the clarity.
These are his blunt statements.
Do well. Aim high. Perform better. Yield high results. I had great hopes for you.
He never told us what exactly we must deliver, the desired results he expects from us, or what exactly were the hopes he had for us.
Lead your team with clarity, even if you’re expecting huge.
- “Increase sales by 20%” is better than “Improve your sales.”
- “Boost web traffic by 200 more visitors” is better than “Bring more traffic.”
- “I need this tomorrow” is better than “Complete soon.”
And this is why I tend to format the important messages I send to my team on Google Chat.
To communicate more effectively, I’d like to quote the following lines from Chip Heath’s book ‘Made to Stick‘. 👇🏽
“Work to make the core message itself more interesting.”
Always remember the following points.
Don’t be abstract. Be concrete.
Simple commands. More details.
Better clarity. Required results.
