When there is a lack of clarity, people waste time and energy on the trivial many. When they have sufficient levels of clarity, they are capable of greater breakthroughs and innovations–greater than people even realize they ought to have–in those areas that are truly vital.
How do we achieve clarity of purpose in our teams and even our personal endeavors? One way is to decide on an essential intent.
An essential intent is both inspirational and concrete, both meaningful and measurable. Done right, an essential intent is one decision that settles one thousand later decisions. It’s like deciding you’re going to become a doctor instead of a lawyer. One strategic choice eliminates a universe of other options and maps a course for the next five, ten, or even twenty years of your life. Once the big decision is made, all subsequent decisions come into better focus.
Nonessentialist
- Has a vague, general vision or mission statement
- Has concrete quarterly objectives but ones that fail to energize or inspire people to take their efforts to the next level
- Has a value set but no guiding principles for implementing them
Essentialist
- Has a strategy that is concrete and inspirational
- Has an intent that is both meaningful and memorable
- Makes one decision that eliminates one thousand later decisions
Creating an essential intent is hard. It takes courage, insight, and foresight to see which activities and efforts will add up to your single highest point of contribution. It takes asking tough questions, making real trade-offs, and exercising serious discipline to cut out the competing priorities that distract us from our true intention. Yet it is worth the effort because only with real clarity of purpose can people, teams, and organizations fully mobilize and achieve something truly excellent.
* Source: Essentialism by Greg McKeown