Clarity of thought doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by design. You’ve learned here concepts and tools for building clarity into your work with others to help remove hurdles that often stall progress. As this Lesson comes to a close, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also note the following:
- Clarity that shows itself in your work with others starts with clarity inside yourself.
Many professionals view planning as something you do only for major presentations or reviews. Using planning and design as part of your own (or your team’s) internal process prior to engaging with others goes miles toward showing up in a way that has clarity written all over it and sets you up to create success with others.
Let’s hear from CELA Leader, David Howard, as he shares his strategies for creating internal clarity within his team.
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Essentials from David
- David’s team drives clarity by investing in core planning processes.
- Specifically, one tool David’s team uses is the early case assessment process. This process helps the team get clear at the beginning of an effort regarding the strengths and weaknesses of a case. The team also uses this process to agree on their priorities and to craft a plan they will follow all the way through to trial. Combined with periodic check-ins on the plan, this discipline has been a powerful way for David’s team to deliver success.
- David’s team also employs the annual look-back and look-ahead process. During this process, the team assesses the prior year, looking at what went right and what went wrong and how they will use those experiences to inform a better future. David has found this to be an effective way to drive clarity around what needs to change and what the top priorities will be for the coming year.
- David shared a principle that complements these processes, a version of the 80/20 Rule that helps people get clear about what they should be spending their time on during any given day.
David’s team uses a combination of processes and principles to support a way of leading and working together that is designed to drive heightened clarity. The clarity that results at the individual and team level enhances their ability to create success with others and is perhaps an inspiration for practices you might bring to how you lead.