Clarity: Get it & Use it

What do you want out of life? Your business? Clarity, focus, and successful execution are essential pillars of entrepreneurism, and necessary tools for getting what you want. The most successful people design their own lives, and then live their lives on purpose. But the first step is clarity.

The definition of clarity is: Understanding and documenting your targets clearly and determining the “why” behind reaching them (personally and professionally). It’s about developing a clear vision, outlining priorities and objectives, and tackling goals with a real sense of urgency and focus. Clarity is achieved when ideas and concepts are clearly explained and presented internally and externally; it’s when we know where we are in relation to where we want to go.

When clarity is lost, or never achieved in the first place, it is almost impossible to generate the kind of focus necessary to establish a dynamic organization capable of acting swiftly and deftly on a daily basis. What you’re left with instead is a struggling, underperforming organization and frustrated employees eager to jump ship.

The requirements for clarity are specific with respect to three issues:

• Purpose—relates to the “why” of things, thought through and documented
• Value—relates to the real benefits that can be acquired (for all stakeholders to win)
• Objectives—relates to the premise that unless objectives are stated clearly and understood by all, the likelihood of achieving them is slim

You have to ask yourself the hard questions: Why do you want to be in the business you’re in? Are you building a business to sell, or are you building a family business you want to pass down? Be clear on what you want and utilize tools along the way. (Visit this website for a free assessment and many free tools.)

When you have an authentic vision, things happen. If you have no vision, there is nothing to tie your objectives to and nothing to measure your progress or performance against. When you have clarity about your vision, you discover yourself being pulled toward it and all you have to do is follow the connecting opportunities that carry you along, allowing you to make connections faster.

Think about a time when you’ve been excited and regenerated at the thought of achieving a big goal. For an entrepreneur, there’s nothing like the adrenaline rush of having complete clarity about what it is you want to achieve. When you have clarity, you get that excitement that builds and fuels your energy toward that dream. The results you achieve will often come faster than you may have thought possible.

Clarity and focus together form the basis of execution. So get completely clear about the things that you want and then take action.