Clarity Or Diversion

Clarity or Diversion?

Does your organization call meetings for strategy or diversion? If you ask many employees (specifically non-management) you would get an answer of “diversion.” What causes people to hide from strategy and embrace diversion? It’s simple; fear brought on by the absence of clarity. Fear paralyzes individuals and organizations so that a clear path is unable to be charted.
When organizations or individuals lack clarity and direction they resort to diversion. When you don’t know where you’re going, you can’t give directions on how to get there. In many ways your success can contribute to this condition. Success can often cause you to relax. It can cause you to put things off, or worse, hold onto what got you to the success you’re experiencing today. Rarely does yesterday’s success provide sufficient fuel for tomorrow’s challenges.
We have become in many ways soft. Like the prize fighter who is tired of the rigors of training, not realizing that the training is what delivers the title belt. Corporations and the senior leaders within are complicit in allowing this state to continue. When organizations are fixated first and last on quarterly numbers, clarity goes out the window. When your only strategy is making money you can’t truly strategize on core growth. .
Consider the following as you seek to move to clarity and away from diversion. All of these solutions are rooted in the art of making decisions:
• Decide what you want and be prepared for the consequences n(good and bad). If you want clarity you need to prepare for it to cost you something. Your family may shake their heads, your boss may laugh or maybe you’ll doubt your decision hours later. Every profitable decision carries a price. The beautiful part is you get better and learn more as a result.
• Decide to seek help. You may call it a life coach, a mentor or a pastor. Regardless, all performers know that asking for help is a major step toward breakthrough and greatness. You don’t get to where you want to be alone.
• Decide to stop doing certain things. These might be habits, relationships or even your career. In a recent interview, the actor Denzel Washington said ending certain associations helped him as he crossed 50. If it or someone doesn’t contribute to your growth, then why are you involved?
• Decide that you’ll finish well. This might be the biggest decision you’ll ever make. A dear friend told me once that when his dad passed away, he knew he had finished well. That’s life-changing leadership, and that’s a life well lived!
• Decide not to give up. There will be times when you won’t think your pursuits are worth the trouble. There will be times when it seems the odds are stacked squarely against you. No matter where you find yourself, just don’t give up. The only exception to this is when quitting get’s you closer to your destination (thank you Seth Godin).

Whether you are the CEO or the mail room clerk, clarity is important. Diversion only leads to wasted opportunities and regret. Think about the preferred future you desire and how that makes you feel. One thing is for certain it won’t happen without clarity of mind and clarity of direction.