The Power of Clarity: Why (and How) Leaders Should Communicate Clearly (the 2N Formula)

The corporate world today is filled with corporate jargon and ambiguous words.

The higher up you go on the corporate ladder, the more likely you are to hear them.

Why, you might ask?

It is widely believed that using wishy-washy, abstract terms and corporate jargon can make you sound smart, intelligent, and “senior”.

As tempting as it might be to sound clever, I believe that the hallmark of a true, authentic leader lies in their ability to be clear, concise, and direct.

In this article, I will discuss three reasons why you should favor clarity over cleverness when communicating with your teams and colleagues, and a simple formula that you can apply to make that transition.

Why You Need to Be Clear

“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.” — Nat Turner

Before we get into the formula, let’s discuss why you need to be clear in communication in the first place.

Reason #1 — To Foster Trust

“Leadership is about integrity, honesty, and accountability. All components of trust.” — Simon Sinek

Trust forms the foundation of your organizational culture.

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni talks about the importance of building trust, and that the absence of trust is the root cause of dysfunctional teams.

When you speak with your team using convoluted language, or throw in a bunch of industry jargon, you’re likely to be perceived as being manipulative or insincere. When you use such language, you’re putting the burden on your team to decipher hidden meanings or complex terms, which can be taxing on them. Clever language can create an environment of uncertainty or exclusivity, further eroding trust between you and your team.

As a leader, you should aim to be clear and concise.

When you are clear, you use simple words and straightforward language.

When you communicate with simplicity you come across as authentic and transparent. You don’t beat around the bush. This helps to build trust between you and your team.

In my article about the Dumbest Mistake Leaders Make in Communication, I talked about the importance of being relevant and authentic when you communicate. You are a human, and you need to be human when you communicate.

The culture of your organization is shaped by your behaviors, and an authentic communication style will rub off positively on others in your team.

When you communicate clearly, so will your team.

Reason #2 — To Improve Efficiency

“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” — James Humes

When you use clever language, you often leave room for interpretation.

When you force your teams to interpret your words, you increase the risk of misinterpretation and misunderstandings.

Your team members might nod their heads when you speak, but inside those heads, they probably have no clue what you’re talking about.

Some leaders intentionally use abstract or ambiguous language. They do this to mask a difficult message, or to avoid taking accountability for what they are saying.

Remember the restructuring announcement email from senior leadership?

“We are making this decision in the larger interest of the organization, and we believe that this will help the two divisions foster their synergies in the future.” — Senior Leadership

This doesn’t clearly tell you why the decision was made, who is impacted, or how it will be rolled out. In a nutshell, it doesn’t tell you anything useful. What it does do successfully is trigger confusion and uncertainty amongst the recipients.

When you speak with clarity, on the other hand, you leave little room for ambiguity.

Imagine that you are sharing a decision outcome with your team. When you speak clearly, you share with them in precise terms — the outcome, the rationale, the impact, the decision owners, and the next steps. That specificity helps your teams make use of that decision outcome, and apply it to their situation.

Some leaders hide behind generalizations instead of talking about specifics. These generalizations rob the message of the real meaning, and introduce unnecessary ambiguity and confusion.

When you communicate with specific details, you leave no room for ambiguity. You ensure that your teams get the essence of the message, and can take action from it.

Reason #3 — To Facilitate Learning and Development

“The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first.” — Iyanla Vanzant

As a leader, you are not just responsible for driving the business goals.

You are also responsible for the growth and development of your team members.

When sharing performance feedback with their team members, some leaders like to add a whole bunch of layers to the message, to the point where the essence of the message is lost. This is especially true when the feedback is constructive, and the leader wants to avoid having a difficult conversation. After such conversations, the recipient may walk out feeling awesome and completely oblivious of the key message and learning points he/she should have picked up.

Instead, you need to aim for direct, authentic feedback.

When you share constructive feedback with specific details, clear instructions, and well-defined expectations with details, timelines, and examples, your team members can better understand where they stand, and their roles and responsibilities.

Granted, sharing direct feedback takes courage. But by doing so, you set up your team for success.

When the feedback is clear, it is actionable.

With constructive feedback, your team members know what they need to do to improve their skills and contribute to the organization. Likewise, with positive feedback, they genuinely feel rewarded and recognized for their contributions.

I once worked with a boss who always sugar-coated the feedback during performance discussions. Even when I knew I missed a goal my boss didn’t call it out. Our performance conversations ended up being mechanical, and merely check-box items.

When you communicate with courage and authenticity, you allow your teams to grow.

How to Drive Clarity: The 2N Formula

All that being said, it can feel daunting and uncomfortable to break out of the rut of the communication patterns you see around you in corporate circles.

Here’s the good news.

In my years of experience working with great leaders, and listening to inspiring orators, I have devised a very simple formula that you can apply to move from cleverness to clarity in your communication.

I call this the ‘2 N’ formula: Numbers and Names.

#1 —Numbers: Replace Generic Descriptions with Numbers and Data Points

Instead of using generic words (especially adjectives) to describe something, use numbers and objective data points.

Here are a few examples to drive home the point:

• Instead of “You did a great job!”, say: “You exceeded your sales target this quarter by 10%. Great work!”
• Instead of “We will taper down on this investment.”, say: “We have decided to pause Project A effective today Sep 1st, as we have seen a decline of 5% in customer adoption of this feature for the last 2 quarters. Instead, we will invest our resources into Project B.”
• Instead of “Both Projects A and B are of high priority.”, say: “Project A and B stand at Priority Ranks #1 and 2 respectively. Whenever in doubt, you should use this relative ranking to make decisions.”
• Instead of “Laura, I noticed that you haven’t been feeling well recently. I hope you’re feeling okay?”, say: “Laura, you called in sick consistently for the last 4 Fridays. What’s going on?”

#2 —Names: Replace Generic Groups with Specific Names of People or Teams

Instead of attributing responsibility, accountability, or praise to a group of people, use specific names of individuals or teams.

• Instead of “We’ve seen a decline in the productivity in some of our teams.”, say: “We have seen a decline in the agile velocity of Team A in the past sprint from 60 points to 30 points, a 50% reduction.”
• Instead of “Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project!”, say: “Tom single-handedly led the technical designs on this project facing a tight timeline of just 1 week, and delivered the designs with zero bugs. Thank you Tom for demonstrating accountability and technical leadership!”
• Instead of “Eric, some of your peers aren’t comfortable with your behavior recently.”, say: “Eric, last Monday at the team meeting you made a joke about skin colors. While most of the team laughed it away, Melanie found that comment to be offensive as it was insensitive to people with dark skin. I suggest you work with her to resolve that, and also be mindful in the future.”

Bringing it Together: The Power of Clarity

Great leaders communicate clearly.

They avoid using ambiguous, wishy-washy, and intentionally misleading terms.

They don’t hide behind the bush. They are willing to call a spade a spade.

The three primary reasons why you should focus on clear communication are:

1. To Foster Trust. When you are authentic, genuine, and accessible to your teams you help to foster an environment of trust.
2. To Improve Efficiency. When you share specific details and outcomes with your teams you help them move forward more efficiently.
3. To Facilitate Learning & Development. When you share direct, constructive feedback and actionable goals, your teams can learn and grow faster.

You can use the simple 2N Formula to become more clear in your communication:

1. Numbers: Replace Generic Descriptions with Numbers and Data Points. When you use numbers and objective data points, you provide more concrete details that are actionable, and remove the burden of interpretation or follow-up questions.
2. Names: Replace Generic Groups with Specific Names of People or Teams. When you use specific names of people or teams in your communication, you avoid diluting the message, and provide the accountability (or praise) to the people who deserve it most.

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