Clarity. Can you answer WHY?

I’m captivated with the psychology behind leadership. What separates a good leader from an okay leader? Apparently, I’m not the only one. It wouldn’t take scrolling through your LinkedIn or Facebook feed for very long before finding an article on the subject.

There was something about the article that I came across this morning that caught my eye. The title, 12 Often Overlooked Practices Great Leaders Develop That Poor Leaders Don’t, by Carey Nieuwhof. The entirety of the article is strong, but it was the author’s second point that struck a chord.

A couple years past, I read the book, The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni. This particular read was a catalyst in how I would approach my responsibility as a leader. What I attained from Lencioni’s writing, I find particularly applicable to new organizations.

In our quest to charter a Kiwanis Club in Carmel, I spoke to our current group of members on Lencioni’s theory of a ‘Healthy’ versus a ‘Smart’ organization. He claims, “The single greatest advantage a company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free and available to anyone who wants it.”

He goes on to explain ‘Smart’ organizations typically are good at the classic fundamentals of business like strategy, marketing, finance and technology. Very necessary in the pursuit of success, but only half the equation. A ‘Healthy’ organization is one that performs with minimal politics and confusion, with high degrees of morale and productivity.

It’s logical, but don’t be fooled. It is much more difficult than it sounds. According to Lencione, organizational health requires the practice of four disciplines:

1) A Cohesive Leadership Team 2) Clarity

3) Over Communicating Clarity 4) Reinforcing Clarity

Which brings me to the article I read this morning outlining the 12 overlooked practices of great leaders. Number two on the author’s list, Clarity. I couldn’t agree more. It can’t be emphasized enough.

Clarity creates alignment, and an organization without alignment works against itself. Ask yourself, whether it is the company you work for or an organization you volunteer your time, can you answer WHY they do what they do? Further, do you align with that WHY?

I believe time is our most precious resource. If you’re like me, I seem to have less of it with every passing day. Yet, I look forward to our Carmel Kiwanis meetings. I look at my schedule hoping to reallocate my responsibilities to free-up more time to give to the organization.

Engagement like this happens when you can answer WHY, because passion lies

within the WHY. If you ask the members of Carmel Kiwanis what they are passionate about, you’ll get different responses from everyone. Some members love to work with children, or want to set an example for their children. Others like the comradery of the group. Still, there is a common thread that all the members share.

When asked WHY they are a member of the Kiwanis Club of Carmel Indiana, you will hear the same answer. We believe our time is precious, our work matters, and we won’t stop striving to be the best community. We will set an example in service that ripples to the surrounding communities, the state and the country.