Ambiguity is the enemy of unity

There are times when we are tempted to be ambiguous in our answers, directions or instructions. This is especially true of those who by nature want to be liked and default to telling people what they want to hear rather than what one really thinks. Or, simply trying to avoid issues that might be conflictual. It is a mistake!

Ambiguity on the part of a leader is the enemy of unity. A unified team is always based on a high degree of clarity where all involved are clear about their roles and the game plan. Ambiguity, or lack of clarity either out of carelessness or out of a desire to please everyone and avoid conflict actually creates conflict since different people hear different things or in the absence of clarity assume different things.

Conflict is a natural part of team dynamics, at least healthy conflict where differences need to be sorted out and negotiated. When leaders fail to do this out of a conflict avoidance posture, they create the very conflict that they sought to avoid only worse. And it is frustrating to staff members who find themselves at odds with others precisely because their leader was not clear in the first place.

Clarity is a friend of unity while ambiguity is its enemy.

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The dysfunction of ambiguity

Where there is not a high degree of clarity around who we are and where we are going, it is very difficult to know how to make good decisions (based on what?) or to know how to focus one's efforts. One of the main jobs, if not the most important job of a leader is to bring clarity to those he or she leads on what the organization is all about and how it will function.

Ambiguity is ubiquitous in ministry organizations. Often our mission is so broad that it cannot be quantified and our values so general that they cannot really be used to define who we are and how they impact the day-to-day activities of the ministry. Most ministries have never defined the central ministry focus that they must concentrate on day in and day out if they are going to have maximum impact. And it is rare to find a ministry that has thoughtfully and carefully defined the culture that they are committed to intentionally create for the health of the organization.

Ambiguity around these core issues makes it very difficult to achieve any kind of significant organizational alignment because one does not have anything with which to align. It also means that team members can claim to be in alignment whether or not they are because the alignment mechanism is so loose.

On the other hand, it is deeply refreshing to find organizations that are crystal clear about who they are, where they are going, the central ministry focus they must have, and the culture they are creating. Where you find this clarity, you also find highly motivated and focused team members who, because of the organizational clarity, have great personal clarity as well. Getting to clarity is hard work but it is some of the most important work that leaders will do and it has a huge impact on the organization's ability to see true results.