From Chaos to Clarity: Three Leadership Principles to Realign Your Team

How do you face chaos in business? Maybe due to an erratic boss, a difficult market, or dare I say, could it be you...?
When business (or life) feels chaotic, that’s your signal for clarity.
In other words, clarity extinguishes chaos.

Ok, that sounds good on paper, but how do we turn chaos into opportunity?

The transition from chaos to organizational clarity requires three core principles: 1) moving from fault to ownership, 2) going from reactive management to proactive leadership, and 3) shifting focus from "me" to "team."

This strategy is key to consistent leadership alignment, culture, and execution.

What Are the Three Principles for Extinguishing Business Chaos?

I was recently working with an executive client navigating these landmines.
He and the leadership team were struggling to align, dealing with an erratic boss, and the market has been rough.
It went from great to wtf quickly as things came to a head.

We needed to get everyone back in the boat, rowing the same direction, but with rhythm, not chaos. 

1. Go from Fault to Ownership

Insecurity, blaming, and self-preservation crept in and became a nasty undercurrent within the team.

• Fault wastes time and drains energy.

• Ownership empowers and removes obstacles.

Just own it. But own the solution.
And what you’ll discover is that owning it is extremely liberating.
Owning the solution diffuses blaming the problem, and creates visibility for others to learn from.

Now you're empowering a culture of owning it; Jocko would be proud.

2. Go from Reactive Management to Proactive Leadership

Do you feel like you are constantly fighting fires? That is a signal of chaos.

Turn reactive management into proactive leadership through cadence, communication, and expectations.

• Create Routines & Rhythms to build momentum, increase proactive communication, and prevent forest fires...
• You may need to increase leadership huddles, but make them structured, consistent, small, and often.
• Establish the “no kindling” rule as a foundation for healthy conflict.

3. Go from Me to Team

Even established teams must get back to the basics, and often.
In fact, the strongest teams are constantly investing into their alignment.

Leadership is a behavior, not a title.
That is worth reading again...

Got Clarity? 🥛

• Clarity in the roles & responsibilities of each person.

• Clarity in what “leadership” means within the organization.

• Clarity in the vision, mission, and values. 

• Clarity in how the team should make big decisions, escalate challenges, and solve problems.

According to the Harvard Business Review, "Companies with a strong sense of purpose and clarity of vision are 4x more likely to experience growth than those without." 

Bottom line, chaos is not uncommon and is expected by strong leaders, because when it happens, it is a signal for opportunity to align.

Leaders are defined during the hard times, not the good times.

After helping my client realign with these three principles, the impossible became opportunity, and the team grew stronger as a result.
And it was that simple... It just took clarity, a plan, and leadership to execute.

This is something I am an expert in with my Strategic Planning events with teams and executives.

And if someone says, “I thrive in chaos,” get out of there!
That’s code for, “I create chaos to thrive in.”

Go Forth and Succeed!

FAQ Section: Business Transformation

Q: How can a team best define and achieve true leadership alignment? A: True alignment is achieved through consistent routines, communication, and clarity in roles. It requires leaders to define three to five core priorities. According to Forbes, when aligned, teams achieve 82% of their goals, a vast increase over unaligned teams.

Q: What is the risk of having a leader who claims they thrive in chaos? A: A leader who thrives in chaos often prioritizes individual excitement over organizational stability, leading to constant reactivity. This can rapidly increase the cost of employee turnover due to a lack of clear leadership, communication, and an organized organization.

Craig Davis is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and podcaster.  Craig is an expert in guiding executives and teams through strategic planning events that turns chaos into clarity and elevates the strength within the team to execute at an elite level.