An aha moment changes our view of the world in an instant, and compels us to do things differently from that day on. May this week's topic create an aha moment for you.  

 See - el - ay - are - i - tee 

                   C      L    A     R     I   TY

CLARITY 

I think sometimes we see ahas, sudden insights, as accidental, or maybe we get lucky.  But there is more to it than that.  We can, in fact, create a continuous stream of ahas through the purposeful, disciplined ...obsessive...pursuit of clarity.  This is most important action in business.

Clarity, n. 1. the continuous practice of increasing understanding so that effective action may be taken 2. simplicity 3. accuracy 4. certainty 5. the definition of what, how and why something should be done, in a way that is easily understood. 6. the absence of vagueness.

A business not obsessed with clarity will never move from good to great.  Complexity and vagueness create the greatest drag on your business.  Clarity is the basis of powerful leadership, a strategy that works, execution that gets results, and the ability to create customer loyalty.   

The Law of Clarity: The more you are able able to clarify, the more power you have to add value to yourself, your customers and your employees.

Assuming Clarity: The single greatest barrier to success.  

TAKE OUR CLARITY TEST.  For each question you check "yes", add 1 point to your score.  

In our business:

____ 1) At least two major processes have been simplified in the
         last year.

____ 2) The business' strategy, key competencies, objectives,
        priorities, metrics and target market is summarized on a
        single page and is used in every key meeting or decision.
____ 3) Objective measurement verifies at least 50% of employees
        in the company can summarize the company's strategy and
        competitive advantage in a few sentences.

____ 4) Everyone in our company knows what decisions they are
        accountable for making in their job, that support achieving
        business goals. 

____ 5) The clarity and value of our competitive advantage is
        regularly and objectively tested with our customers.

____ 6) 3-5 leading indicators are consistently tracked
        that accurately predict the health of the business well
        in advance of sales and profitresults.

____ 7) There is a high degree of clarity of what works and does
        not work in driving new purchases and customer loyalty.

____ 8) The 3-5 behaviors any leader must always demonstrate
        and never demonstrate toward others is clearly defined.
____ 9) A compelling plan for the organization has been set,
        which creates a clear (shared) vision and purpose, and
        concrete time-bound goals and priorities.

____ 10) Individual performance is measured by the achievement
        of agreed upon results, not activity. 

_____  Total Clarity Score

9-10 = Great  7-8 = Good  5-6 = Holding  3-4 = Unsatisfactory  1-2 = Failing   

There are few who believe that complexity will hold or decline.  We are facing more competitors from more places through more distribution channels complicated by an explosion of information, marketing and sales channels. The workforce is more diverse.  We are faced daily with more choices.

Immediate things you can do. Seven specific action steps to immediately improve clarity are listed in the green box to the right.  Start with these. 

SwitchTrack has a long, successful track record clarifying how businesses like yours will surpass competition.  Visit our website to learn more.   

www.switchtrackgroup.com