Importance of Clarity

We've been conditioned to believe that "good" women make themselves smaller: speak softer, apologize more, defer quicker. But being a leader isn't about shrinking to fit other people's comfort zones. It's about expanding to fill the role that your vision, expertise, and impact deserve. And yet, we still catch ourselves minimizing our contributions in meetings, hedging our statements with "I think maybe..." and literally making ourselves smaller by slouching. We've been taught to be grateful for crumbs when we should be setting the table. That's space abdication. Women: your discomfort with taking up space is someone else's comfort with you staying small. Every time you shrink, you're not just limiting yourself; you're modeling limitation for every woman watching. And trust me, they're watching. (And if you're reading this, you're watching me so I'd BETTER take up space.) Taking up space isn't about becoming aggressive or adopting masculine behaviors (though there's nothing wrong with those either, if they're authentically you). It's about showing up as the full version of yourself, with all your ideas, insights, and yes, your strong opinions intact. Here's your roadmap to claiming your rightful space: 1. Speak first in meetings. Not after you've heard everyone else's thoughts and carefully calibrated your response. Lead with your perspective, then listen and adapt. 2. Stop hedging your expertise. Replace "I'm not an expert, but..." with "In my experience..." You didn't accidentally end up in a leadership role. 3. Take up physical space. Sit forward, not back. Gesture naturally. Use your full vocal range. (I've been accused of not having an "inside voice". Oh well!) Your body language should match the size of your ideas. 4. Own your wins publicly. When someone asks how the project went, don't say "the team was amazing." Say "I'm proud of how I led the team to deliver X results." 5. Interrupt the interrupters. "Let me finish that thought" is a complete sentence. So is "I wasn't done speaking." Your leadership isn't a consolation prize or a diversity initiative. It's a business imperative. The world needs what you bring, but only if you're willing to bring all of it. #womenleaders #communication #executivepresence

🧾 The cost of being seen isn’t the same for everyone. For women, it’s a "Surchage" no one talks about. 👩 Take Ling, a regional sales director. When she speaks up in strategy meetings, she’s told to “be mindful of her tone.” When she stays quiet, she’s labeled “not strategic enough.” It’s not a leadership gap. It’s a cost-benefit calculation, rigged against her. 👩 Meet Rina, a product lead. She’s built three go-to-market launches. Each one a success. But when promotion time comes, her boss says: “You’re doing great. Let’s not disrupt the team dynamic.” Her competence became the excuse to keep her contained. 👩 And then there’s Julia, a COO candidate. She’s been asked to mentor the next generation of women leaders. But no one’s sponsoring her to be the next CEO. 👉 Because championing others is celebrated. Championing yourself gets complicated. But the problem is, the system charges women extra for the power move: • Speak up? Pay the “too aggressive” tax. • Stay humble? Pay the “forgettable” fee. • Stay silent? Pay with your career.    ⚙️ So how do you stop overpaying for power? You fix it by changing the cost structure. Here are 4 strategic power moves to change the terms: 1️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲. Most women try to optimize for comfort: "How can I be visible without making anyone uncomfortable?" Wrong question. Ask: "What does this room need to believe about me to attach power to my name?" Then behave in a way that enforces that belief, consistently! 2️⃣ 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁. Workhorses get thanked. Strategists get promoted. Shift the conversation from "how hard you worked" to "what changed because of you." Make people dependent on your thinking, not your labor. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁, 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺. When women lead, people often don’t know how to process it. So they fill in the blanks, with assumptions. Don’t let the room guess. Tell them why you’re doing what you’re doing. Say 👉 "I’m recommending this because it moves us closer to the long-term goal." 👉 "I’m raising this because keeping quiet will cost us more later." 4️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺’𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Decisions about you happen in rooms you’re not in. Those rooms won’t remember your to-do list, they’ll remember the shortcut version of you. Make sure the phrase people repeat about you is a power narrative, not a service narrative. Keen to own your narrative? 📅 Join our online workshop on July 24th 7:30 to 9pm SGT 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 👉 https://lnkd.in/gVT2Y59Q 👈 For women who are done paying extra just to be in the room. 👊 Because if you keep paying the power tax quietly, you’ll be subsidizing other people’s promotions forever.

"You're doing a great job. You 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 need more executive presence." 🤦🏻♀️ Oh, okay. Let me just go buy some from the store. Maybe it’s on sale next to gravitas and leadership aura? 🔍 Research shows that women and especially women of colour are disproportionately given vague, subjective feedback instead of clear, actionable guidance. Stuck in their career navigating foggy directions like: "Work on your presence." "Be more confident." "Find a mentor." Let's fix that. 🚫 5 Common Career Staller Feedback & What to Say Instead 🚫 1️⃣ Don't Say ❌ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. Lacks specificity, making it challenging to address. 👉Say ✅ I’d love to see you take the lead in client meetings. Your insights are valuable—let’s work on amplifying your voice in those spaces. ↳ 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵: 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 2️⃣ Don't Say ❌ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. Ambiguous, leaving the individual unsure of what's lacking. 👉Say ✅ Your expertise is valuable—enhancing your presentation skills can increase your impact in executive meetings. ↳ 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵: 𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥. 3️⃣ Don't Say ❌ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫. Delays advancement without clear reasoning. 👉Say ✅ Identifying key leaders who can sponsor you for larger opportunities will be beneficial. Let’s work on building those connections. ↳ 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵: 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 4️⃣ Don't Say ❌ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. Vague on what specific experience is required. 👉Say ✅ Gaining experience in 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 will prepare you for this role. Let’s assign you a project to develop that skill. ↳ 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵: 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱. 5️⃣ Don't Say ❌ 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐞𝐭. Provides no guidance on areas needing development. 👉Say ✅ "To prepare for leadership roles, consider leading cross-functional projects. Let’s create a development plan together. ↳ 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵: 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. Leaders—your words shape careers. The difference between “not yet” and “you’re next” is the clarity of the feedback you give. Give the roadmap—not roadblocks. What is a clear and actionable feedback that you have received that make a difference in your leadership progression? Koon Executive Coach #careerhackwithkoon DM 👉1:1 coaching 👉Leadership Training Program 👉Keynote speaker/panelist

Bonuses only matter, right? Think again. When it comes to project success, teams crave: 🌟 Clear Communication 🌟 Trust 🌟 Feedback Groundbreaking insights reveal: 70% of projects fail due to lack of clarity, regardless of the tools in place. Here's the real shocker: 33% of team members feel their expertise isn't utilized. That's a third of your squad feeling underutilized. Ponder on that. Why This Matters ➨ Faster Deliverables Effective feedback speeds up project timelines by 27%. ➨ Elevated Quality Clear objectives can spike the project's quality by 19%. ➨ Team Cohesiveness Teams with trust are 3.5X more likely to meet deadlines. ➨ Resource Optimization Informed teams utilize resources 42% more efficiently. Now, no doubt, tools are pivotal. Everyone needs the right resources. But they aren't the be-all, end-all. Here's the revelation: Clear communication bridges the gaps tools can't. It's the linchpin of a successful project. Your Action Plan 1. Transparent Objectives: Clarify the 'why' behind tasks. Purpose drives passion. 2. Feedback Loops: Encourage open dialogue. Mistakes are growth opportunities. 3. Trust Sessions: Team-building exercises to foster mutual respect and understanding. 4. Skill Spotlights: Hold sessions where team members showcase their expertise. 5. Delegation With Clarity: Ensure tasks align with strengths. No round pegs in square holes. Bringing It Home Don't just assign, engage. A simple "How can I support you?" changes the game. Success isn't about just meeting deadlines. It's about nurturing growth, trust, and collaboration. Kickstart the change. Witness project efficiency, team satisfaction, and quality escalate. Let's transform our project landscapes, one clear communication at a time. P.S. If this struck a chord, share to enlighten others ♻️

Hard truths are uncomfortable. But leadership isn’t about comfort. It’s about confronting reality, especially when it is the lived experience of women in your organisation. I have lost count of how many leaders I have briefed, from mid-level managers to board directors, who are genuinely shocked when confronted with the facts about how women experience their workplace. Truth bomb! Surprise is not a strategy. Denial is not leadership. Ignorance is not innocence. If you don’t intentionally and regularly listen to the women in your organisation, you’re failing them and your business. In this article, I’m not just telling you why you need to listen — I’m giving you the exact steps on how to do it. This includes my Leaders Guide to Listening (to Women). It’s designed to take you beyond dashboards and surveys into honest, meaningful conversations that will change how you lead.

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘇𝘇𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱. To me, it’s the foundation of trust, connection, and growth. I’ve learned this the hard way. In moments when I held back, thinking it would “protect” my team, I saw confusion and disengagement take root. But when I leaned into honesty – even when the truth was uncomfortable – I saw something incredible: stronger bonds, deeper commitment, and a team that felt truly empowered. Transparency isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about having the courage to share what you know, where you’re headed, and why it matters. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀: 1️⃣ 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Ambiguity is the enemy of motivation. When your team knows exactly what success looks like and why it matters, they’ll rise to the challenge. 2️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: People thrive when they understand how their work contributes to the mission. Don’t just focus on tasks – connect them to purpose. 3️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲: Some of the best ideas come when you create a space where every voice feels heard. Feedback isn’t just a process – it’s a gift. 4️⃣ 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Addressing challenges openly shows integrity. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being accountable. 5️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Whether it’s dashboards, check-ins, or team updates, clarity fosters alignment – and alignment fuels performance. Transparency doesn’t mean overloading people with information. It means sharing the right insights, at the right time, in a way that builds trust and inspires action. What do you think? Is transparency embedded in the way you work or manage your teams?

Great strategies rarely fail because they’re wrong — they fail because they’re not understood. In every successful organization, one element stands out: clear, consistent, and authentic top-down communication. When leaders communicate with intent and back their words with action, three powerful outcomes follow: 🔹 Clarity of direction: Teams know not just what to do, but why it matters. 🔹 Trust and credibility: Communication backed by consistent behavior builds belief. People don’t follow what leaders say—they follow what leaders do. 🔹 Cultural alignment: When the message and actions from the top are in sync, the organization naturally moves in one direction, with shared purpose and energy. Because communication isn’t just about talking—it’s about walking the talk. When leaders embody the messages they share, strategy turns into action, and intent turns into impact. In today’s fast-changing business environment, clarity and credibility are the ultimate competitive advantages. How do you ensure your communication as a leader is backed by consistent action?

Stop teaching women to be confident. We don’t need another pep talk. We don’t need more “you got this” speeches or workshops on how to feel stronger. Because let’s be real: women already are confident. They study. They deliver results. They lead teams. They launch businesses. They have the expertise. Confidence isn’t the problem. The real gap? 👉 Credibility — when a man speaks, authority is assumed. When a woman speaks, her credibility is questioned. 👉 Self-trust — not “can I do it?” but “do I trust myself enough to stop apologizing, overexplaining, or shrinking when I do it?” And yes, this is maddening to witness: we’ve all seen mediocrity celebrated as authority on one side of the table, while brilliance gets interrogated on the other. Double standards drive me crazy. So instead of pushing women to “fix themselves” with more confidence, the work is two-fold: ⚡ Fix the systems that undermine them. ⚡ Practice the subtle shifts that close the credibility gap. Here’s the simple micro-framework I share with clients when influence feels harder than it should: 1️⃣ Align — Anchor in what actually matters: your values, your expertise, your goals. And ask yourself the hardest question: am I sitting at the right table? Because if you’re at the wrong one, it’s like fighting windmills. No amount of “confidence” will make that worth it. 2️⃣ State — Share your perspective clearly. No hedging. No over-explaining. No apologizing for taking space. This is the one piece where practice is everything — the muscle you build each time you refuse to downplay yourself. 3️⃣ Evidence — Back it up with data, examples, proof. Unfair? Absolutely. Necessary? Yes. Because credibility isn’t handed to us the way it is to others. We build it, brick by brick. Here’s the secret: 👉 Just “being confident” without credibility, without alignment, without self-trust… is like shouting into the wind. 👉 Alignment + clarity + evidence? That’s what shifts the room. And no, you don’t have to wake up every day ready to “fix the system” by yourself. None of us do. But every aligned statement, every piece of evidence, every time you refuse to shrink — you’re not just protecting your seat. You’re reshaping the table. Now tell me: when was the last time you noticed credibility being assumed for someone else… and questioned for you? (And if this hit home: my DMs are open.)

Clarity isn’t just kind. It’s commercial. I learned this the hard way. A few years ago, I was supporting a transformation where delivery teams kept missing milestones. It wasn’t for lack of effort. These were smart, committed people working long hours and making constant trade-offs. But when I sat down with them, the story was always the same. “We’re not clear on what matters most.” “The goals keep shifting.” “No one’s willing to call the tough decisions.” Meanwhile, the execs were frustrated. “Why are things still stuck?” “Why do I need to get involved in every decision?” “Why aren’t they stepping up?” They weren’t lazy. They were confused. And confusion is expensive. Here’s what I’ve learned again and again - clarity is a skill. It doesn’t come from simply telling people what to do and hoping they get it. It requires intentional, deliberate work to build and maintain. And clarity isn’t just about what flows between leader and individual. It must live within the team too. A shared understanding that shapes how people coordinate, support, challenge, and decide together. When clarity is treated as a collective muscle, it does three things for a system: → It reduces escalation as fewer things need to go “up” → It accelerates decisions because trade-offs are named and understood → It builds confidence across teams, not just individuals When people know how to make sense of complexity together, they move faster, trust more, and lead better. That’s a performance advantage. But clarity is not a one-off event. It’s an ongoing effort and curiosity. →  It means being curious where clarity is assumed but missing, making the implicit explicit.  →  It means noticing when it feels unsafe to ask questions or challenge decisions.  →  It’s about sharing not just the ‘what’ but also the ‘why’ and ‘how’ when things shift.  →  It means building habits and spaces where the team can regularly align, test assumptions, and renew their shared understanding.  →  Above all, it means leading with humility and patience. Clarity isn’t a switch to flip. It takes time with a willingness to revisit and refine. If your team feels stuck in loops or vague deliverables, maybe it’s less about ownership and more about whether everyone truly sees the same path forward. Without that shared clarity, it’s almost impossible to move with confidence. #Leadership #HighPerformance #TeamPerformance #Clarity #Alignment #Transformation Lily Woi Coaching Limited

Founders worry about technical debt. But clarity debt is far more dangerous. Unclear decisions compound faster than unclear code. Technical debt can slow a team down, but it’s visible. You know when the system is creaking under its weight. Clarity debt is silent and insidious. It happens when decisions are made without clear goals, communication lacks precision, or alignment is assumed rather than verified. Over time, this debt erodes trust and efficiency. Teams waste hours reinterpreting vague directives, rehashing decisions, or resolving misunderstandings. Decisions that should take days stretch into weeks as people try to decipher intent or context that wasn’t explicitly shared. Misaligned efforts can lead to outcomes that don’t serve the original purpose, forcing teams to backtrack. Clear communication creates leverage. It allows everyone to move faster, make decisions confidently, and focus on the right problems. To manage clarity debt, start with purpose. Every decision and message should begin with a clear “why.” Avoid assuming context is understood and over-communicate critical elements to ensure alignment. Keep things simple and focus on the essentials. Revisit decisions and communication habits regularly to maintain alignment. Clarity is a competitive advantage. Founders who prioritize clarity build cultures of trust and focus, enabling their teams to innovate faster and execute with precision.