Government is being pulled in every direction—shifting priorities, political pressures, and ever-changing public needs. In this environment, leaders must move beyond check-the-box strategic plans and set a meaningful direction for their city, agency, or department. The most effective leaders don’t just react—they make deliberate choices that drive real progress. Achieving this level of strategic clarity isn’t just possible—it’s within reach.
The key is making deliberate choices that define direction. This comes before and informs the strategic plan. Patrick Lencioni’s six clarity questions offer a simple, effective way to define strategy and align teams, even in uncertainty.
- Why Do We Exist?
Every organization needs a compelling reason for existing—its core purpose. The answer should be idealistic and high-level. Why do we get up in the morning and do the work we do? Is it to change the world in some way, improve the lives of our citizens, advance a cause, or because we love public sector work? Whatever the reason, it must be clear and resonate with everyone.
2. How Do We Behave?
Core values define culture and set expectations for every person at every level. They must drive behavior and decisions—not just exist as words on a website. A useful exercise: identify your top employees and analyze what makes them exceptional. How do they behave? Then, either re-evaluate your current values or re-focus on reinforcing them daily. Your values, when lived-out, will attract and align similarly minded staff and leaders.
3. What Do We Do?
This question requires a straightforward answer. No fluff, no jargon—just a simple, clear statement: We provide these services or products to these people. Getting precise about what your organization actually does ensures clarity in execution. It’s important to get clear on the answer, even when it seems obvious.
4. How Will We Succeed?
Your organization needs three success pillars—key focus areas that define how you will best serve your citizens and stakeholders. What will set you apart? What strategic choices will ensure you fulfill your mission effectively?
Spreading efforts too thin risks mediocrity; it makes it harder to excel in key areas that drive real impact. Instead, pick three strategic pillars that define success. Not four. Not five. Three. These should be so strong in execution that they naturally attract the right customers and team members.
For example, a city might focus on three success pillars: (1) Customer-Focused Government—making it easy for residents to access services, (2) Transparent & Accountable Government—ensuring trust through clear decision-making, and (3) Modernizing Government—upgrading technology, processes, and infrastructure to serve citizens more efficiently and effectively.
What are the three success pillars that will drive clarity and success for your agency?
5. What Is Most Important Right Now?
Organizations juggle multiple priorities—services, finances, compliance, PR, policy—but often lack a single, overriding focus. A short-term rallying cry ensures strategic progress rather than just maintaining day-to-day operations.
Borrowing from The Four Disciplines of Execution, ask: If every area of our organization stayed the same, what one change would have the greatest impact?
Examples:
- Fixing a critical operational weakness
- Launching a new initiative
- Implementing a new system or process
A clear rallying cry increases collaboration, alignment, and accelerates strategic progress beyond the day-to-day.
6. Who Must Do What?
Strategy is meaningless without accountability. Clarity in roles ensures execution. First, define who is responsible for key actions. Second, ensure every team member understands their role in driving strategy.
A great way to create alignment: Have each team member write down their role and take turns soliciting feedback. This ensures 100% clarity on what our team needs from each role.
The Power of Clarity
Strategy is not a document—it’s action. Successful organizations take a stand, define their role, and align every team member around these six questions. Alignment is simply every person speaking the same answer to the same questions. Without this clarity, engagement suffers, leadership turnover disrupts progress, and execution slows because there is no compelling long-term vision.
Every team member must have the same answers to these six questions. They aren’t abstract concepts—they are the foundation for a thriving organization.
Define your destination with clarity and set your organization on a path to lasting success. The most effective leaders don’t just manage change—they drive it with purpose and precision.
About Mark
Mark helps leaders build mission-driven, collaborative teams. As a speaker, consultant, and former software company founder, with extensive experience working with public sector organizations, he understands the challenges of shifting priorities, slow execution, and hampered collaboration. Whether you need a strategic advisor to bring clarity to your direction or a dynamic speaker to help your leaders break down silo mentalities and work better together, Mark equips leaders with practical tools to strengthen collaboration, improve execution, and build an aligned, mission-driven agency.
Let’s connect – Schedule a call with Mark today or email mark@markskenny.com.
