Any organisation, be it a business, company or public institution, must be led by leaders who can communicate the direction and heading of the organisation.

Like a captain of a ship, he or she must possess the will to inspire the crew and steer the ship in the right direction

Without clarity, the crew gets confused and demotivated.

When your employees don’t know what you want, or if your instructions keep changing at the behest of some external powers, it demoralises the entire workforce. External tussles can creep into the core operations and destroy the aim of the organisation.

Over time, lack of clear communication leads to a demotivated workforce and poisons the heart of the organisation. People show up for work because they are paid to do so. There is no sense of loyalty or pride in the work they do.

Start with Why – as Simon Sinek rightly puts it, there has to be a belief that guides whatever decision-making at the top level. The leader with clarity of communication has to communicate this belief to the middle management and empower them with the resources to execute.

The middle management then oversees the execution of the plan. Like the second-in-command of the ship, they make sure that the crew understand what the captain wants. They have the know-how of execution, and it is their job to make sure the lowest level crew do their jobs well.

The execution represents the crewmen who paddle the oars, sets the sails, load the guns on the cannons. They could hear the captain’s instruction from afar, but the conviction lies in their middle manager or immediate supervisors’ instructions. They then set about their role, executing it the way they know how.

When there’s coherence in between the leaders, the middle management and the lowest rung of employees, the organisation can power forward with full steam ahead.

Clarity of leadership cuts through the murky waters and inspires the whole organisation to work towards a common goal. What this inspiration results in will almost always be reflected in the performance and impact of the organisation.