Clear is Kind
Reading through Brene Brown’s Dare To Lead, a modern classic on leadership, I kept coming back to a simple phrase in the first chapter. “Clear is kind.”
I’m somewhat of a reformed people-pleaser, and I can trace my people-pleasing tendencies back to my desire to fit in and have people like me (big surprise there). But when I step back and look at my life’s trajectory as objectively as I can, I find the times I've felt the most appreciated and valued weren’t when I mindlessly went along with the crowd or told people what I thought they wanted to hear, but rather when I was brave enough to be clear, open, and honest.
As a leader, it does no good to have unspoken expectations of your team. It’s unlikely people will hit a target they can't see.
My gut feeling is this is why so many bosses feel bad after they fire someone. Sure, there’s a certain amount of empathy for someone who’s lost their job, but there’s also a fair amount of guilt in knowing you didn’t give that person the best chance of success.
We shouldn’t do people’s work for them, but we are responsible for setting expectations and pointing them in the right direction.
Clear is kind.