Building the plane while you fly it

The biggest crisis facing young Americans today is a lack of purpose. They wander through life weighed down by hopelessness, convinced the future isn’t worth fighting for. They can’t afford basic necessities because of rising costs and stagnant wages. They’re told they’ll never have homes. Marriage and kids are, for many, out of the realm of possibilities. And to make it all worse, the climate doomers say they won’t have a future because climate change will suffocate us all.

The emptiness many young people feel today is profound, and originates from multiple sources, but one especially stands out: climate doomerism, the belief humanity is on an unstoppable march toward destruction, has become a defining feature of our generation.

The story told to millions of young people is the planet is dying, the system is rigged, and the future is lost. When that message becomes the moral framework for a generation, what hope is there?

They say clarity is kindness, and I tend to agree. The clearer we are about vision, expectations, roles, deadlines, deliverables, etc., the better our teams become.

I’ve learned that clarity doesn’t appear out of thin air. It’s an intentional commitment an organization makes to its people. And the way you create greater clarity, in my view, is through building better systems.

Consider a few common sources of stress in an organization:

• Unclear roles: When people don’t know what they own or what others own, you need a system that proactively defines roles and responsibilities.
• Projects are vague: The deliverables and deadlines are fuzzy, so you likely need a better project kickoff and management system.
• Poor communication: If key people aren’t “in the loop,” you might need an internal comms system that makes sure updates flow the right way at the right time.
• Decision-making bottlenecks: If people don’t know who can make what decisions, you may lack a system for defining authority and approvals.
• Mission drift and shiny objects: If your team struggles to stay aligned on long-term goals, or too many “exciting ideas” keep popping up, you need a system for setting plans and regularly reviewing goals.

Again and again, when an organization lacks clarity, it’s not just a communication issue, it’s a systems issue.

If you want to create greater clarity, try identifying the missing system.

Neither is your organization. I know that’s really hard to hear or accept.

You’re not so unique that the basics of leadership, systems, and clarity don’t apply to you.

You’re not so unique that you just happen to attract bad hires. Maybe you have weak management.

You’re not so unique that setting clear goals, building a healthy culture, and creating clarity somehow aren’t “your thing.”

Saying you’re unique is convenient. It’s a way to avoid change, sidestep responsibility, and ignore the hard truths every other leader eventually has to face.

The good news is, you’re not alone. But you’re not exempt either.

For the first five years, our organization operated without written values.

At first, it didn’t seem to matter. We were small, close-knit, and aligned by instinct. But as we grew, the cracks began to show. Departments started working in silos, communication broke down, turnover climbed, and morale slipped.

Our culture wasn’t toxic; it was just undefined. In many ways, it was accidental instead of intentional.

That tension finally pushed us to sit down as a team and define who we wanted to be, and how we wanted to work together.

The world doesn’t need another podcast. But this post isn’t really about podcasts. It’s about the pressure to jump on what other organizations are doing – a newsletter, a blog, an influencer program, a local ambassador program, you name it.

These things could very well advance your organization. But “because everyone else is doing it” is not a strategy. And for us, these were intentional add-ons that pay returns.

Start with the problem you’re trying to solve or a specific audience you’re trying to reach. Then ask: Is this the best tool for that job?

The great Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, said that. And I forget it all the time.

Like when my partner loads the dishwasher in a way that makes my eye twitch. After all, I’ve spent almost a decade figuring out the most optimized way to load the dishwasher, and they’re throwing dishes in there like it’s a trash bin.

This is how I’m wired – and I know it’s not always easy to be around. But I value order and systems. I like things done with care, done efficiently, and done right. And I hold myself to that standard.

A problem arises, though, when I hold others to this high standard. I expect people to think the same way, act the same way, and have the same general mindset. And, surprise, that leads to way more frustration than contentment.

When I get too rigid about how others should operate, I’ve noticed that resentment begins to creep in. I start to feel frustrated and silently hold people to expectations they never agreed to. I get annoyed when they don’t approach things the way I would.

That’s not leadership. That’s immaturity. And it’s something I wanted to share that I’m working on in case anyone else relates to this dynamic.

The Stoics got it right – focus only on what you can control – even if that’s easier said than done.