The Cost of Unclear Leadership (and How to Fix It)
I learned something early in my career that I didn’t have a name for yet.
I was two months into my first real job — sitting across from a C-suite leader, trying to understand what they needed and figure out how to deliver it. I was right out of college, with the title of admin assistant. And yet, I was expected to show up with executive presence, read the room, and move things forward.
What I didn’t realize then was that I was already doing the work that would not only be critical for success but also a differentiator: leading without authority, and teaching others to do the same.
Relationships aren’t soft. They’re structural.
My first role lived at the intersection of two things that many organizations still treat as opposites — business growth and results on one side, relationship management and culture on the other.
I was naturally wired for the people side. But most of the people I worked with were wired for tasks and outcomes. So I learned to speak both languages fluently. And in doing so, I started to see something most organizations miss:
The gap between strategy and results isn’t a strategy problem. It’s a people problem.
When expectations aren’t clear, motivation erodes. When trust is missing, action stalls. When leaders aren’t aligned, culture becomes inconsistent — and inconsistent culture has a price tag most organizations never calculate.
The gap between strategy and results isn’t a strategy problem. It’s a people problem.
Clarity for change.
About 15 years into my career, I became a client of ADVISA.
I remember sitting in my first session thinking: I want to do what they do. Not because I fully understood what was happening, but because I could feel it working. They were using data about my team and me to help us understand each other, work together more effectively, and produce stronger business outcomes.
About 15 years into my career, I became a client of ADVISA. I remember sitting in my first session thinking: I want to do what they do.
It wasn’t magic. It was a system. We were reducing friction and, more importantly, distractions.
And something our CEO, Heather Haas, said gave language to something I’d been practicing intuitively for years: that learning is the container for change, data is the catalyst for change, and leadership is the fastest path to change.
What unclear leadership actually costs
Expectations aren’t always understood, even when communicated — and even when the destination is known, the path is often missing.
That ambiguity has a price. And it shows up in ways leaders don’t always connect back to leadership:
- Motivation drops when people don’t know what’s expected of them or how to win.
- Learning slows when there’s no psychological safety to try, fail, and grow.
- Action stalls when priorities shift faster than communication can keep up.
- Confidence erodes when feedback is inconsistent or worse, absent.
- Trust breaks down when words and behaviors don’t match.
None of this is inevitable. All of it is solvable — through effective leadership.
Results and culture aren’t a tradeoff
One of the most persistent myths in business is that you have to choose between building a strong culture and driving strong results. Or, that organizations that prioritize people do so at the expense of performance.
That’s not a tradeoff. That’s a false choice.
The organizations that thrive long-term are the ones where leaders are aligned, expectations are clear, and people understand not just *what* to do — but *why* it matters and *how* to show up to do it.
That’s what leader-led culture actually means. Not a value on a wall. A behavior in the room.
What’s coming
Over the next several months, I’ll be writing about the pillars I believe are most critical to sustained business success — the ones I’ve seen move organizations from stuck to unstoppable, from misaligned to thriving.
You can count on healthy doses of candor and grace. Maybe some humor. (I like to laugh, but I’m not very funny.)
Over the next several months, I’ll be writing about the pillars I believe are most critical to sustained business success
If any of this resonates — if you’re a leader who knows where you want to go but can’t quite figure out why the organization isn’t getting there — I’d love to hear from you.
The path isn’t as elusive as it seems. But finding it usually starts with one honest conversation.