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Clarity of Vision, Goals, and Boundaries

Cathie Leimbach • April 23, 2024

A crystal-clear vision, coupled with well-defined goals and boundaries, forms the cornerstone of a thriving workplace. A compelling vision acts as a guiding light, inspiring employees and aligning their efforts toward a common purpose.

However, without specific goals, this vision risks being irrelevant words. By setting three or four key goals, leaders can direct focus onto the vital 20% of tasks that yield 80% of desired outcomes. When goals are communicated clearly, ensuring that all team members fully understand expectations, having a clear vision and goals fosters efficiency and prevents wasted effort on non-essential activities.  


However, as Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges point out in their book, Lead Like Jesus, leaders often conclude that “they have been “perfectly clear” in their initial instructions about what they want, and then they hold their listeners accountable for perfect comprehension and perfect retention.” In reality, being a leader who helps employees and the organization succeed  requires two-way conversations to check for understanding and frequent repetition of the goals to keep everyone focused on priorities.


Additionally, establishing clear boundaries provides employees with a framework within which to operate, empowering them to make decisions confidently and autonomously. These boundaries serve as guardrails, ensuring that actions remain aligned with organizational objectives while allowing room for creativity and innovation.


Blanchard and Hodges explain that “Boundaries channel energy in a certain direction. It’s like a river. If you take away the banks, it wouldn’t be a river anymore; it would be a large puddle, devoid of momentum and direction. What keeps the river flowing are its banks.”



Together, clarity of vision, goals, and boundaries creates a roadmap for success, guiding both individual and collective efforts towards organizational success. Leaders have the responsibility to ensure that vision, goals, and boundaries are established, frequently communicated, and fully understood and followed by all team members. 

Achieving Commitment in Team Decisions

By Cathie Leimbach • March 25, 2025
When leaders make decisions or teams vote on changes, not everyone automatically supports them. However, getting everyone's commitment can be crucial for team or organizational success. Two key factors create real commitment: clarity and emotional buy-in. Clarity means removing all confusion about what's changing and why. Everyone needs to understand exactly what they're being asked to do. Emotional buy-in happens when people want to support the change rather than just following orders. To build both clarity and buy-in, talk openly with your whole team. Encourage questions about how changes will work and when things will happen. Listen to concerns instead of ignoring them. Remember that feelings—whether worry, resistance, or excitement—strongly affect how people respond. Don’t be surprised when change doesn’t happen. Use a team engagement process that helps leaders understand and increase each team member’s readiness.  Good leaders know they can't force real commitment. Instead, they build it by including team members in conversations about why and how to make changes work. This turns "their decision" into "our project," creating the team commitment needed for successful change.

Mastering Conflict: Turning Disagreements into Opportunities

By Cathie Leimbach • March 18, 2025
When conflicts arise, embrace them rather than avoid them. Different perspectives actually improve the quality of decisions and create better solutions. Effective conflict management requires genuine listening. Pay real attention to what others are saying, even if it challenges your own thoughts. It's all about respecting each other and improving how we communicate. When working with others, it is important to make quality decisions while maintaining healthy working relationships. The Thomas-Killman model of conflict management describes five styles for handling conflict. It helps us figure out the best way to deal with issues, depending on how important they are. And don't sweat disagreements—they're part of the process. If everyone agrees all the time, chances are some key perspectives are being left out. Keep your focus on the problem itself, not on getting emotional. Understanding the core issue is key to moving forward, instead of getting stuck on personal stuff or past arguments.  Remember, conflict isn't about winning or losing. It's about finding the best solutions together. When we see disagreements as opportunities to explore new ideas, we can turn tension into innovation and strengthen our working relationships.
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