Without focusing and getting to clarity, you cannot lead. You cannot motivate. You cannot plan. You cannot communicate.– Bobb Biehl
Would you say you have clarity in your life, both personally and professionally, or would you lean more towards the “clear as mud” descriptor?
Where are you in your career and where would you like to be? What about outside of work? Are you fulfilling your dreams?
Paul Cummings suggests thinking in terms of a camera:
- Most cameras today automatically know how to focus on an image.
- Years back that was not the case. You had to take the time (and make an effort) to focus your camera on the image you wanted to capture.
- You had to slowly twist and adjust the lens until the image looked clear and in focus.
He then goes on to share how our minds work:
- Minds don’t come with an “auto-focus” button
- Mental clarity is not simple
- It takes time and effort to find it
- As leaders, we must take the time we need to find our own clarity, especially if we want to lead others. (Remember FLY? First Lead Yourself, then Lead Others)
- Mental clarity means that you have total sharpness and clearness of mind about where you are and where you’re headed
- You have a clear perception and understanding of who you are and what you want to get out of life
- If you want to lead others well, you must be clear about the things that you are wanting to accomplish (Goals? Expectations?)
- Team members are looking to their leader for confidence, total clarity and certainty
- When it exists, you will be a trusted leader, and your team will want to follow you
Some define CLARITY as knowing exactly what you want to achieve, and FOCUS as knowing which daily actions to take to get there.
Are you “Clear as Mud or Auto-Focused”?
Too often we don’t know what we want and we lack clarity and commitment to stick with our plans long enough to achieve success.