With my new associate Pavel on board, we've set out to Create Clarity. We recently spent a few days off-site doing just that. Because Confusion Is Bad.
Per Patrick Lencioni the second discipline of a healthy organization is to Create Clarity by answering six critical questions with your leadership team. The goal is intellectual cohesion, building on the behavioural unity achieved through Discipline 1. For context, here are the six questions with descriptions, after which I’ll share one of our new answers, woo!
Why do we exist?
The philosophical root of your work. Why it matters. Why bother. Why others should join you/hire you/care. Deliberately not practical.
How do we behave?
Your organizational DNA distilled into a few evocatively articulated characteristics. Not aspirational, not generic, not popular. True.
What do we do?
A one-sentence summary of your operation. Typically easy to identify, but omit this clarification at your peril.
How will we succeed?
Your strategic secret sauce, typically articulated in a simple 3-fold recipe. What you’re going to aim at, and thus inversely say no to, in order to be effective long-term.
What’s most important, right now?
Your single top priority over the next 3-6 months, serving to unite and galvanize the troops.
Who must do what?
Role clarity. Where “Sue” ends and “John” begins. (Sue and John, hope you’re well.)
Now to our first answer: Why do we exist?
To make work great.
Cool, eh? Pithy, punchy, simple, and easy to remember—clarity for the win. Four words for the win! And it’s loaded with meaning. Which we look forward to sharing with you soon.