Clarity Not Certainty

Do you choose the certainty of outcome over the clarity of objective?

Personal success will come down to several closely related factors. Still, there is one, your attitude toward decision making and risk, that research indicates is more important than all the others. Choosing Certainty of outcome over Clarity of objective is quite a deal-breaker where success is concerned.

Many of us tend to seek this Certainty over Clarity of vision most of the time. That action will significantly increase the risk of falling foul of ego and repel instead of attracting the successful outcomes we crave.

Many of us have been lucky enough to experience successes along the way; of course, defining what success looks like is dependent on the individual.

For some, success is being the best they can be in their chosen career, but success comes in many forms. In my early career, my success was achieved in uniform as a qualified marksman, completing six active service tours and becoming a combat survival instructor.  Later I became the CEO of an international business and a published author.

I have learnt on my journey that some high-level temptations will create significantly greater chances of true success in whatever you choose to do if you can learn to avoid them! These lessons I have learnt along the way are endorsed by research. To a certain extent, they are all related to one overall weakness. That weakness is waiting for certainty rather than acting now based on the clarity of the objective.

I learnt this personally when my instincts told me to act during an opportunity to complete an acquisition in a previous company. Still, my preoccupation with certainty, to avoid the possibility of being wrong, resulted in a lost opportunity that went to a competitor!

But what are some of the symptoms of choosing certainty over clarity?

Sometimes we all choose Status over Results.

When certainty takes control, and we are in a position of power, we often let it get the better of us. We tend to let our ego take over more than it should so that the certainty of our position becomes more important than the results we need!

This is something you will witness many times during your regular work routine. Research shows that status and the need for certainty limit innovative thinking. I have certainly seen this myself during my time as CEO, operating on both sides of the Atlantic.

People who concentrate on maintaining their status think more about their position than the results they and others create. They feel more about their role than getting the right outcome for those around them. 

This is a sure sign that the individual is being led by their ego rather than their desire to build better results. This can sneak up on you if you’re not careful.

I can remember a few years ago a business leader I was working with falling into the trap of spending their time protecting their status rather than taking a leap of faith that would later be taken by a junior manager who was more focused on results than their position. It wasn’t long after this incident that junior manager was rewarded.

Even the best of us will sometimes inadvertently pay more attention to our position in the group than the results the group is getting! This is something we should all be looking out for and putting right.

When we obtain power, we often choose Popularity over Accountability

Because we are human, when we are given or take a degree of power, we are influenced to seek certainty over the clarity of vision; we tend to think the most important thing is to be popular with our cohort. This is demonstrated in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

When it comes to business, it is all too frequent for the leadership to lose the room because they place too much attention on being popular and nowhere near enough on demonstrating accountability at every level.

If there is a problem, the answer is not to procrastinate but get it sorted early, but professionally, don’t wait for fear of upsetting someone. Forget seeking popularity and instead become popular by your attention to accountability.

Support from your cohort will come from you doing the right thing all of the time, even when it hurts! I have witnessed this personally in my career; more importantly, this is endorsed by research undertaken by Harvard Business School.

Popularity comes from being accountable and not trying to be a friend to all. Work on the long-term respect of your people, not their affection, and get that respect by doing the right thing for the group and for the results you seek.

We all tend to choose Harmony over Conflict.

This is a temptation to create harmony in the team rather than seek to encourage alternate views and new or alternate ideas. However, choosing conflicting views is good; it encourages creativity, promotes innovation, and helps in more transparent decision-making.

I have witnessed many good ideas while starting and building businesses; it is no coincidence that the most significant successes came from businesses where conflicting views and innovative thinking are part of the culture. Some of the most outstanding examples of this include Google, Microsoft and Apple.

We fear conflict, but in this case, conflict is not aggressive and not damaging. It is, in fact, very beneficial to the group, whereas the opposite, seeking harmony, only serves to create a room of nodding donkeys, stifling innovative thinking and creative ideas.

Conflicting views should be sought out and should be encouraged. We should all be trained to deliver conflicting views respectfully and positively.

Too many of us choose Invulnerability over Trust.

When power corrupts us and our out of control ego takes over, we tend to shut up shop regarding the basic building blocks of emotional intelligence. We feel the need to hide the fact that we have feelings too, that we are just like you, ordinary people with the same fears, challenges, and doubts!

So instead of building trust by showing that we are human and vulnerable like everyone else, we choose to hide it and create a façade of invulnerability. Research by Daniel Goleman illustrates this point in his studies of emotional intelligence. So, encourage those around you to show their human side. It is ok to challenge, embrace vulnerability and work to improve rather than hide vulnerabilities and create untold issues for the future.

Beware your ego

The reality is that we all need to have some degree of ego to get us through the tumultuous roller-coaster we are on. But it needs to be under control, and the best way to achieve this is to invest in developing your essential emotional intelligence.

When you mix your strengths with an out of control ego, that strength will quickly become a weakness; for example:

Confidence becomes a belief that you’re infallible! Being Sharp-Witted comes across as abrasive!

Control becomes inflexibility!

The great news is that emotional intelligence can be learned, developed, and all become masters of the elements that encourage and attract success; you need the desire and drive to adopt new habits.

So why do we tend to choose Certainty over Clarity?

According to the work of Daniel Goleman and others, it’s because we fear not being right and, as a result, what people might say or think! This is not just in business but in all walks of life. So, the choice of certainty over the clarity of objectives is just wrong and will restrict you; what seems to be safe is sending you backwards. Choosing certainty will prevent breaking through the glass ceiling, prevent innovation, and prevent calculated risk in keeping with progressing you toward your vision.

Let me ask you a question – If you could not fail, what would you do today that you currently are not?

If you have an answer to that question and there is something you would do if you could not fail, then there is a real possibility you are seeking certainty over the clarity of vision. It’s certainly worth thinking about!

In Conclusion

If we want to create more success in our lives and improve our outcomes, we must remember that an out of control ego plus a strength becomes a weakness.

Make the personal choice and then back it up through your actions and by encouraging the same steps in others willing to learn from you.

Choose results over status, choose accountability over popularity, conflict over harmony, trust over invulnerability; success comes from choosing clarity over certainty, every time!

Remember the difference between windows and mirrors, and then use them in the right way, at the right time!

The incorrect way to use them is when something goes wrong, look out of the window for someone to blame; when things go well, look in the mirror and congratulate yourself.

Of course, the right way is when things go wrong, look in the mirror and take responsibility, and when they go well, use the window and share the congratulations.

Improve the success of others, improve your success by choosing clarity of vision over the certainty of outcome.

So, don’t wait and delay decisions for the certainty of outcome, don’t delay while waiting for the smallest of detail, instead, embrace your instincts, and the lessons learnt, take action, take calculated risks, pivots and leaps of faith. Choosing clarity over certainty will help us create the success we’re all seeking.

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