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282 LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
6. CLARITY: CONNECTING THE DOTS
TO A BETTER FUTURE
“Clarity is king” should be the motto for every leader. In each
of your communications, you should be connecting the dots for
your team members. Given the communication challenges and the
Intention/Interpretation Gap, leaders need to over-communicate and
employ a variety of methods to get the job done.
More clarity = More security = Better work =
More job satisfaction
In The One Thing You Need to Know, Marcus Buckingham
focuses on the key initiatives of a leader as it relates to creating a
better future. He says:
“Their job is to rally people to a better future . . . They are
instigators. Driven by the compulsion for a better future, their
challenge is to do everything in their power to get other people
to join together to make this future come true. They (need to)
fi nd a way to make many people . . . excited by and confident in
this better future. If, through their words, actions, images, pictures,
and scores, they can tap into those things we all share, they will
succeed as leaders.”
Connecting the dots is a way to keep employees informed (see
Figure 6.3). People want to feel significant, get involved in something
greater than themselves, and contribute as vital members of
the team. If you don’t connect the individual to key purposes and
goals, he or she will feel disconnected and unmotivated. Make sure
you ask the following questions to clarify your future:
1. Who do we serve?
• Customers, employees, or shareholders?
• Is there a specific type of customer you are going after?
2. What is our core strength?
• What is our unique strength that others don’t have?
• How do you keep it in focus?