The Clarity Challenge

I’ve been doing an official experiment over the past year with client teams. I ask a simple question, one for which everyone thinks there is a clear, simple, and straightforward answer, one which it would only make sense that every employee could answer quickly and definitively.

The question:  What time is on time?

In other words, what is the exact time in the morning when an employee would be considered “on time” for work?

I asked this question again two days ago at a Team Calibration Retreat. I requested that they raise their hand if they thought they knew the answer to prevent them all shouting it out at once. I called on a young woman at a front table.

“7:50,” she answered confidently.

“So, if I walk in the front door of the practice at 7:50 am, I will be considered “on time” in your practice, correct?”

Immediately a variety of looks were exchanged by the rest of the team around the room and several other hands shot up. I called on another one.

“7:45,” another replied, “because 7:45 is when our morning meeting starts.”

The first team member countered, “No one ever told me the meeting started at 7:45. As long as I’ve been here, we’ve met at 10 minutes to 8:00.”

To this, the second team member said, “Well that may be when it eventually happens, but it is supposed to start at 7:45. It’s just rare that everyone is actually there on time.”

So, I looked at her and repeated my previous question, “So, if I walk through the door at 7:45 am, am I considered on time in your practice?”

More hands shot up. I called on a third person.

“7:45 is when our meeting starts, but 7:30 is when we are supposed to clock in so we can get everything turned on, set up, and be standing in the meeting room, ready to go for our 7:45 meeting.”

The first women rolled her eyes and said out loud, “This is the first time I have EVER heard that!”

When I glanced at the doctor and the office manager, they had their heads in their hands.

We think we are clear. We tell new employees what time work starts. They nod their heads. We believe complete communication has occurred. Then, they are late, and we shake our heads, wondering if anyone has a good work ethic anymore.

I’ve discovered that we are not clear about the simplest things, let alone those which are more nuanced or complex. I believe this is because there is an unseen gap between what is said, what is heard, and what is seen and reinforced. It muddles the original request as well as the truth about what is expected and accepted.

All great communicators know that establishing true clarity about your message is paramount. If you want to improve your results with those you communicate with (which is EVERYONE), work first on clarity, and there is a simple way to do that.

Ask.

When we want to be understood clearly, we must discipline ourselves to know that a nod of the head when we ask if something is clear is practically meaningless. It’s not on purpose. People think they’ve understood you clearly, and, to be fair, sometimes they have. But, most of the time, what they’ve actually understood is their version of what you said, and it is often incorrect.

Practice clearly stating what you are requesting, committing to, needing and wanting and ask for the other person to restate it for both of you. Keep doing this until you hear the clarity you had hoped to communicate. Without this, clarity is just an illusion.

A helpful hint: Of course, we don’t want the other person to feel like we think they are a child or are stupid so frame this request to be more about you than them. For example, “Sam, sometimes I think I’ve been clearer in my requests than I actually have been, and so to make sure I’ve done my part to set us up for success, would you mind restating in your own words the way you understand our agreement?”

This week, do this one simple thing:  When you communicate, instead of expecting clarity, anticipate confusion and misinterpretation, and ask for clarity.  It will fundamentally change your results.

Wouldn’t it be great if you were part of a team that operated with such clarity that they had one cohesive and correct answer to any of the following questions:

  • What time is on time?
  • What do we do when someone approaches us with gossip or a complaint about another person?
  • What is the first thing we do when a patient expresses a complaint about their treatment or how our practice has handled something?
  • Who do we go to first when we have an issue with another person?
  • What are the 3 things that must be completed before we can clock out for the day?
  • What are the 4 essential items that all team members must bring to our team meeting?

You could add dozens of other questions to this list, but you get the idea. Clarity truly is “king” if you want to set your people up for success. I think it would make a great team meeting agenda item to take one question every month and establish clarity for the team because leaders always go first.

I’m still waiting for that one special team who will collectively shout the cohesive, correct answer to “What time is on time?” Maybe in the future, it will be your team? I hope so!

“We live out the confusion until it becomes clear.”

~ Anais Nin

 

Comments

  1. “We live out the confusion until it becomes clear.” LOVE IT Thank you for a great Monday Morning inspiration – good questions to ask the team Janice Hurley

    1. It really is a great exercise and they are always amused (if not appalled) at how much is really unclear. Tom and I find it happens with us as well so we’ve been working on it. Thanks for the positive comment. Glad you liked it. I’m sure you’ve experienced the same things with many of your teams.

    1. Thank you, Bri! You are so right that it applies to every system. So glad you liked this week’s message. Thanks for taking the time to write and tell me so. Have an awesome week ahead!

  2. Such a wonderful ‘Monday Morning Stretch’ topic, Katherine! I also really liked the 6 other sample questions you provided in this post. You have encouraged me to think of other questions where one cohesive and clear answer would significantly improve clarity in the practice. Thank You!

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