The Litmus Test for Clarity
- Author
- Geoff Welch
- Published
- Sun 31 Aug 2025
- Episode Link
- None
I’m going to get plenty of hate in the comments, but here’s my take:
Clarity is the most powerful lever leaders have to influence the success of their team.
Ensuring your people have complete clarity about the desired outcome, their role in the work ahead, the timeline, and how their work interrelates to the work others are doing is the single most important thing a leader can do to help them win.
And the best test for whether this clarity exists?
It’s not what you think.
The best test is not tracking how their actions map to the mission or how well they are collaborating.
The best indicator of complete clarity is what they say “NO” to.
When an exciting side quest pops up, do they reject it because it betrays progress on the clearly defined outcome?
When pressured from external (or internal) parties to deviate from the goal at hand, do they bend or do they say, “wait, this doesn’t make sense.”
When YOU attempt to redirect their work, they don’t just follow blindly, they probe for insight as to why this is a better path toward the ultimate goal.
The true test of clarity isn’t what happens when everything is hunky dory, the true test of clarity comes when something seeks to muddy the waters and your people refuse to be distracted.
OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: Don’t assume your people already feel empowered to say “NO” when a course of action is about to impede progress on the desired outcome. Explicitly invite your people to push back, probe, and say “NO” when presented with a path that doesn’t help move the team toward their goals.
My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results—without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets
My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results—without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets
