Guesswork in Your Work?
Guess what?
Guesswork is a lot of work.
The definition of “guesswork” is the process or results of (as you might have guessed)…guessing.
Think about all the things we’re asking of our people. We’re striving to move at the lightning speed of business. And we do so for all the reasons we know. But there’s a but (not an AND)…
When we’re not clear with “the ask” things get cloudy fast. When things are foggy, paralysis kicks in. Our people simply don’t know what decision they should make — leading many to go on to make no decision at all.
So, when it comes to our work…
How do we take the guessing out of guesswork?
The remedy is clarity.
My friend and fellow keynote speaker Colette Carlson shares, “Clarity Is a Rarity”. I couldn’t agree more. In the spirit of being clear, that clarity must paint a shared reality understood by all players on the team.
Here are three ways leaders can stay clear in meetings with their teams:
1. Know the goal of a meeting before a meeting you’re leading ever begins
2. Send an email to those participating with the goal prior to the meeting
3. Start your actual meeting by declaring the goal of the meeting
In essence, know what to say — and be a broken record.
“The signature of a pedestrian company is persistent inconsistency.” – Jim Collins, Good to Great.
When leaders are not crystal clear, there’s uncertainty. Uncertainty brings slowdown. And guesswork.
If you want to win with your people, take the guesswork out of work. Lock in on that one thing. Declare that one thing to your team. Say it over and over and over again. Repeaters Make Believers.
