How to Achieve Clarity by Using a Common Framework and Methodology

I’m a Mac guy. So, on the Rhythm team, we are all Mac users. If I hire you and you try to walk through the door with a PC, you will not be able to connect to my world. All of our monitors are set up for Macs; we have Apple TV powering our presentation monitors and not an HDMI cord in sight. If you work for me, you must be fluent with the Apple ecosystem (Mac OS and iOS). This would be similar to being fluent in the same language.

Using a common OS (Operating System) gives you a consistent way to run your company. It is a language that everyone can speak, reducing the chances of miscommunication. It gives you clarity, and clarity is essential to good execution. 

From Confusion to Objectivity

Think about a time when you asked a colleague about their status on a project, and they responded with something like, “It’s going okay.” Did you know what “okay” meant? You need one language to describe your process. 

On the Rhythm team, we use Red-Yellow-Green success criteria: Green means you are on track to hit your goal, Red is trending towards unacceptable performance, Yellow is in between Red and Green, and Supergreen is the stretch goal. The criteria needs to be specific and objective. So, if a teammate tells me that their goal is Green this week, I know what that means. It is not a feeling, like “good” or “okay”. The status is actually about how you are performing according to the objective criteria attached to the goal. For example, take a sales goal: Let’s set Green at $1 million in sales, Red is anything less than $700k, Yellow is in between, and Supergreen is $1.2 million. If my teammate says their goal is Green, I know it means that they are on track to achieve the $1 million goal. There is no room for confusion because we’re using the same OS and speaking the same language.

Handling the Growth Chaos 

Mike Praeger, CEO of AvidXchange, says: “If you’re running a growth company, there will be chaos. It’s not a question of whether or not you’re going to get chaos. The question is: Do you have an OS to handle the chaos and handle it well?” 

A common language becomes more and more important as your company scales. Imagine that your organization is growing from 100 people to 200 people. Suddenly, there will be numerous people speaking differently about their projects. Things are going to get confusing–fast. Use a common language to cut down on confusion and bring up the clarity index. 

See It to Achieve It 

Good execution requires clarity. If you really want to hit a goal, you must first visualize it. Think: What does success really look like? Write it down and share it with your team. If you can’t be clear on what you want to achieve, you can’t visualize it. And if you can’t see it, you can’t achieve it.

The Four Areas of Great Execution 

Our research at Rhythm Systems shows us that most companies with execution problems are lacking in one of these four areas: 

• Focus
• Clarity
• Alignment
• Accountability 

Mastering these four areas will give you great execution. Here, we’ve touched on clarity–but stay up-to-date with the Rhythm blog to read about the other three areas soon! 

–Patrick Thean

Other blogs I've written:

Harvard Business Review Article: How to Give (and Receive) Critical Feedback

“Our Silver Bullet”: How Arbill Protects Lives

Four Ways to Love People and Win Their Hearts and Minds

Learn more about the Rythm System

Photo Credit: iStock by Getty Images

Patrick Thean is an international speaker, best-selling Author, and serial entrepreneur and is currently the CEO and co-founder of Rhythm Systems. Visit Rhythmsystems.com to learn more.