How do you ensure your organization consistently lives and breathes its mission, vision, and values? In Patrick Lencioni’s The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, the fourth obsession is reinforcing organizational clarity through human systems. What does this mean? It’s about embedding clarity into the backbone of your organization—your policies, procedures, and processes. This includes: ✅ How you hire ✅ How you reward and recognize ✅ How you conduct employee reviews ✅ How you approach tough decisions, like firing When your human systems align with your organizational clarity, you hardwire your mission and strategy into everything you do. How well are your systems reinforcing clarity today?

As business leaders, we often assume that once we've communicated our vision, mission, and values, the job is done. But is it? In Patrick Lencioni’s The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, the third obsession is overcommunicating organizational clarity. Why? Because even if you’ve created clarity, if your team doesn’t know it “in their bones,” they can’t act on it daily. As a leader, you need to repeat the message until your team not only hears it but can repeat it back. If they’re not tired of hearing it, you’re not saying it enough. Clarity + consistent communication = alignment and success. How are you overcommunicating clarity to your team?

As small business leaders, we often get caught up in the day-to-day, but how often do we step back to ensure we’ve built true organizational clarity? In Patrick Lencioni’s The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, the second obsession is all about defining: Mission, Vision, and Values Who you are as a company How you win and what makes you different Without clarity, how can you lead your organization—or expect your team to follow? Too often, I meet leaders who are still wrestling with these questions. If that’s you, start there. Clarity is the foundation for everything else. What does organizational clarity look like for your business?

Small Business Success: Building a Cohesive Leadership Team As small business owners, we know our success depends on our team—but how often do we focus on building a truly cohesive leadership team? In Patrick Lencioni's The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, the first and most critical obsession is: Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team. Why? Because your business can only go as far as its weakest link. When your leadership team is aligned, unified, and driving in the same direction, your entire organization moves forward with purpose. Without that cohesion, growth will always be limited. How cohesive is your leadership team today?

Leadership challenges often stem not from advanced concepts but from mastering the basics. In Patrick Lencioni's book, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, he outlines four foundational pillars for executive leadership: 1️⃣ Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team. 2️⃣ Create organizational clarity. 3️⃣ Overcommunicate organizational clarity. 4️⃣ Reinforce clarity through human systems. Notice the recurring theme? Clarity, clarity, clarity. Over the next few weeks, I’ll dive deeper into this book and its insights. Whether you’re new to leadership or looking to refresh your fundamentals, this is a must-read. Haven’t read it yet? Start today. Already read it? Revisit it—you’ll gain even more.