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| “Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves, 'This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!” Thomas Kempis |
Clarity of Purpose
Clarity is the most important virtue of the leader-manager. The word “leader” implies that you are going to lead others somewhere. The obvious question is “where?”
Leadership requires that you have a clear sense of direction: That you are able to decide exactly what you want to achieve within the next; six months, year, two years, five years.
What would happen to the manager or leader who is not really sure what they want to achieve?
How would you feel if, when you asked the management for their plans, the answers they gave were too vague?
If the leadership team have only hazy or ill-defined goals, then they sound indecisive. Now, what are their chances of inspiring productive activity?
Answer: Zero chance.
Clarity is the most important virtue of the leader and manager. All great leaders share that one same quality: Definiteness of purchase – Goal focus.
You need a sharp image of the purpose of the team and be able to verbalise and define that image to everyone else who needs to know.
A purpose is the target that is the focus point of all team decisions and actions. Without a clear purpose, a team dissolves and fragments.
Secondly, “clarity” relates to standards. It means you should have a clear idea of the standards that you expect from every member of the team, including yourself.
If you are unclear about your goals, then you will not be able to make accurate decisions - you will not be able to communicate properly with other members of the team. If you focus your mind on attaining “goal focus”, then it will make leading and managing others much easier for you.
Clarity is the most important virtue of the leader-manager. The word “leader” implies that you are going to lead others somewhere. The obvious question is “where?”
Leadership requires that you have a clear sense of direction: That you are able to decide exactly what you want to achieve within the next; six months, year, two years, five years.
What would happen to the manager or leader who is not really sure what they want to achieve?
How would you feel if, when you asked the management for their plans, the answers they gave were too vague?
If the leadership team have only hazy or ill-defined goals, then they sound indecisive. Now, what are their chances of inspiring productive activity?
Answer: Zero chance.
Clarity is the most important virtue of the leader and manager. All great leaders share that one same quality: Definiteness of purchase – Goal focus.
You need a sharp image of the purpose of the team and be able to verbalise and define that image to everyone else who needs to know.
A purpose is the target that is the focus point of all team decisions and actions. Without a clear purpose, a team dissolves and fragments.
Secondly, “clarity” relates to standards. It means you should have a clear idea of the standards that you expect from every member of the team, including yourself.
If you are unclear about your goals, then you will not be able to make accurate decisions - you will not be able to communicate properly with other members of the team. If you focus your mind on attaining “goal focus”, then it will make leading and managing others much easier for you.
