The Clarity Crisis

Why so many organisations drown in noise, confusion, and good intentions — and how true clarity turns chaos into momentum.

We live in a world full of noise — constant communication, shifting priorities, and an endless flow of information. Everyone is talking, but very few people are genuinely clear.

Clarity isn’t glamorous, but in leadership, programme delivery, and transformation, it’s the thing that makes everything else work. Remove clarity, and even the strongest vision struggles to take shape.

For teams to perform well, four things need to be absolutely unambiguous:

1. Where we’re going

2. What my role is

3. How decisions are made

4. What the outcome looks like

When these pillars are in place, teams and organisations accelerate. When they aren’t, meetings loop, progress stalls, and people disengage — not through lack of commitment, but through lack of clarity.

When leaders think they’re being clear (but aren’t)

A common assumption in leadership is that saying something once equals clarity. But communicating is not the same as being understood.

Clarity requires messages to be relatable, simple, repeated, and consistent. Start macro to micro: outline the destination first, then the route. People can’t process detail until they understand the direction of travel.

This is why the most iconic messages in history — “I have a dream”, “We will fight them on the beaches” — work so well. They’re relatable, clear, and rooted in purpose. People don’t just need to know what they’re doing; they need to know why.

When complexity kills clarity

In transformation programmes, clarity often gets lost in the machinery: governance layers, approval routes, overlapping priorities, or shifting agendas.

A clear modern example is organisations moving their Net Zero commitments further out. To the public it looks like greenwashing. To employees it looks like inconsistency. Complexity and inconsistency destroy credibility.

Plans can flex. Principles shouldn’t.

The value of clarity at scale

Clarity becomes even more critical in large, multi-layered organisations and programmes. Consistency of message from top to bottom creates alignment. Consistency from beginning to end creates trust.

Celebrating Diwali at Canucks.

A major relocation programme in Vancouver illustrated this perfectly. Staff were asked to purge years of files. Calculating the lease cost of the space required for the files — over $1 million per year — resonated.  Money that could be reinvested in the workplace.  It resonated even more when the space saving was reframed as half an NHL ice rink in floor space saved. The abstract became real.

Clarity is about making meaning.

Clarity as the missing link

Between vision and delivery lies what I often call the ‘missing link’ — the gap between intention and execution.

Clarity fills that gap. Governance must remain governance — ensuring the right people make the right decisions at the right time. I remember having to challenge a Chairman who dismissed expert advice in favour of personal instinct. It was uncomfortable but necessary.

Leadership sometimes means protecting clarity from ego.

Clarity with flexibility

Structure should empower, not restrict. Good governance provides guardrails. Poor governance becomes a cage.

Overly complex systems stifle creativity, slow progress, and damage morale. HS2 is a national example of bureaucracy overwhelming purpose.

Clarity without flexibility = rigidity.

Flexibility without clarity = chaos.

You need both.

Clarity in communication

Clear and consistent communication is essential — both externally and internally. Internal audiences often get overlooked, yet they are the ones who need clarity the most.

Keep it simple. Keep it consistent. Repeat it more than you think. Tailor it to the audience. Make it concrete and relevant.

For example, explain the real benefits of a new hospital. What does it mean for staff, patients, and the community?

And importantly: if you don’t know, don’t guess. Silence is better than misinformation.

Clarity and leadership

Be clear. Be consistent. Explain the rationale. Don’t mix messages.

Most importantly: never leave a vacuum. When leaders say nothing, people fill the gap themselves — often with the worst possible interpretation.

We saw this recently with the BBC’s handling of the edited Trump speech. While the Board deliberated, their silence created confusion, speculation, and mistrust. A simple placeholder statement would have reduced the damage.

Leaders must also be authentic. Don’t fluff, don’t cover up, and don’t pretend. People follow leaders, not titles. One false impression can undermine years of good work.

Clarity is legacy

Clarity outlasts leaders, structures, and programmes. It becomes the culture. In a noisy world, clarity is radical. It builds confidence, strengthens delivery, and turns vision into meaningful action.

Keep it simple. Keep it honest. Keep it clear — and everything else follows.