Clarity is critical for success in so many aspects of life – ranging from personal to professional. Are you clear on the purpose of your business? Of your life? Do you have clarity on what your brand stands for? Does your audience know and understand what your business can do for them – or that it is for them?
Clear is kind, unclear is unkind
Brene Brown first heard this phrase in a 12-step meeting. Now she uses it as a mantra for being open-minded, curious, and at times, vulnerable in her interactions with friends, family, and colleagues.
I heard her reference this phrase while listening to her podcast Dare to Lead. While she explained the context in which she uses the phrase, I was thinking about one of my branding mantras “clarity, consistency, and confidence.”
Unclear creates more work
When a business is unclear with its messaging, marketing, or branding (or all three), they are not being kind to their employees and customers/clients. Employees are left trying to read between the lines to know what to do next, guessing and making assumptions about what the vision of the company actually is, and what values are important. None of this puts the employee in a good position.
Worse yet, customers/clients flounder, trying to figure out if your business is what they are looking for? Are you the right business to solve their problem? How do they work with you? What’s the process for getting started? What if they need help, where do they go?
The reason your business exists is to serve the customer. Don’t make them work harder than you are to solve their problem.
Can you improve your clarity?
In this episode of the podcast, I share my observations regarding where businesses could improve their messaging, marketing, and branding to offer their clients and employees more clarity. It doesn’t create more work. And you can figure out where you need to work on it by listening to what’s being asked. If the topic or idea comes up frequently, you need to clarify that aspect of your business.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Clear is Kind. Unclear is Unkind. Brene Brown
- Do Good: Embracing Brand Citizenship to Fuel Both Purpose and Profit by Anne Bahr
- Do Good with Anne Bahr on the Marketing Book Podcast
- Being clear is kind. The Pursuit of Purpose, episode 84
- The Pursuit of Purpose Archive
