"Clarity breeds mastery. The clearer you are on what you want, the faster and better your decisions will be."
—Robin Sharma, Writer
VIM Coaching likes to think of itself as the career coaching organization that champions “clarity.” Why is clarity so important? Consider the recent article from CEO World Magazine (October 17, 2026):
“The research is becoming difficult to ignore. According to Appspace’s 2026 Workplace Trends and Insights Report, 72% of employees reported feeling excluded from important workplace updates, while 81% said their organizations communicated inconsistently across different channels.”
When such a large percentage of workers are excluded from the flow of information, and worse, when the information that is being related is inconsistent, clarity goes out the window. From the same Appspace study and not-so-surprising, 95% of executives related “receiving consistent information would make them more confident during periods of uncertainty.”
Unfortunately, clarity in communication does not seem to be a priority these days nor does clarity in defining job roles. In 2023, the Harvard Business Review reported that 1-in-3 executive leaders were confused as to what their job roles entailed, almost like a “bait and switch” scenario from the initial job scenario. Executives, in many cases, believe they, and even their entire team, might have been hired for one role and “somehow” those roles were switched.
The subject of clarity is much more of an insidious factor than might be imagined. Numerous psychological studies in the business sphere show that in jobs where clarity and communication of roles are highly important determinants, more than 50% of those executives are more engaged, with nearly 30% reporting that they are less likely to leave the organization. However, when the reverse holds true, turnover and dissatisfaction are common.
Ambiguity Trickles Down
The arch-enemy of clarity, of course, is ambiguity. The research team at the job-seeking website, Indeed.com (June 15, 2026), found: “Ambiguity is an unclear statement, task or goal. When you encounter an ambiguous situation, you may be unsure of how to proceed because the goal is vague or you don't have access to all of the information you need.”
Ambiguity in a team setting is toxic. When the goal or tasks are ill-defined, confusion follows. It is no stretch to understand that when clarity is muddled, ambiguity follows. Ambiguity and/or a continued lack of clarity affect everything, including the bottom-line.
Executive leaders have a choice in trying to negotiate the maze: do nothing, ask for clarity, or be mindful.
Doing nothing, quite honestly, is often the corporate fallback. Many employees are encouraged to “figure things out for themselves.” Without the tools to do that figuring, it is always more of the same. True, the second option, asking for clarity is appealing; however, two or more people lost in the same maze are still lost. It simply leads to more rapid burnout.
The best solution to conquering ambiguity is mindfulness, the ability to take a step back, analyze, respond and decide on a course of action in an authentic and reasonable manner. Unfortunately, mindfulness is generally not learned, let alone studied in the executive leadership ranks.
Can an entire team learn to be more mindful? Of course. And, often, it is the best way out of a situation where there is no clarity and loads of ambiguity. Mindfulness as a skill is transferable. Mindfulness serves the executive throughout their career, lessens stress, and often defines and enhances success and promotability.
