Clarity is the key to high performance – at individual, team and organisational levels.
Role is the central aspect of Clarity – but this can’t start with job descriptions.

Like most things in life, there is a hierarchy. Organizational Purpose and the high order “existential” elements (eg Mission, Vision, Values) guide and inform all else. These must be concise and represent a supreme “test” for all Strategies and operational activities.

There is a tendency in some organizations to blame those who “don’t get it”. A more positive and successful approach will be to work out ways in which to ensure and help everyone to “get it”. This is a central plank of Leadership.

However, it is hard to get peoples’ enthusiasm up when they are not sure what they – individually or collectively – are trying to achieve. The short / medium / long term Objectives (or goals) must be clearly stated and, while owned by the board and senior management, they are ideally derived in part from wide stakeholder input.

It is not enough to just set objectives – there are inevitably “conditions” for achieving success that must be clarified too. This is mostly associated with our Values (eg – we can all think of people whose methods of achieving their objectives were not ok, and never would have been, to the extent to which they were successful yet unacceptable in achieving their quotas, or whatever. These unstated conditions need to be explicit).

What we actually do to achieve the objectives becomes much clearer. If what we do or have (our strategies, products, facilities, services, etc) does not directly contribute to these stated objectives, why do it or possess it at all? This clarity alone sorts out what we take from the past into our future, and what we leave behind. Strategic Planning becomes simpler and most relevant, enabling unprecedented business guidance.

This clarity enables Operational and Budgetary relevance, but also provides the basis for deciding our Structure and the Roles relevant to our future. An objective, unemotional review of the structure and roles, irrespective of incumbents, is only then possible.

It is based on this objectivity and clarity that a review of staff is feasible to ensure we have “the right people in the right job at the right time”. This is the most fundamental tenet of Human Resources theory! It is the key to the relative success or failure of any organization, underpinning all recruitment and selection criteria.

If we then fail to Performance Manage our people – to provide timely, constructive feedback, reward and recognition, motivation, growth and development – we cannot hope to retain the best of them, or ensure high performance remains in focus.