The Clarity Manifesto

1Mission and messaging are inextricable—two strands of the same thread. When you work on an organization’s message, you are working on its mission.

2A well-defined message that is clearly understood by everyone in the company has the catalytic effect of aligning everyone’s intentions and energies toward the same goal. It’s simple cultural physics.

3Many organizations separate strategy and storytelling. This is a huge waste. The branding and design process is a uniquely powerful strategic development tool.

4The best way to discover a company’s best opportunities is to listen—to each other, to stakeholders, to the marketplace, and to customers. Listening is the beginning of good design.

5Every element of the design and delivery of a service or product is part of an integrated whole. It’s a system whose parts want to work together. Systems thinking is a tool for making sure they do.

6Conventional change management is obsolete. What works is open, honest, and transparent communication between team players, collaborators, and customers.

7Systems thinking can create change very quickly, but it’s a practice, not an event. The system is alive; nothing stands still.

8People are social first. What motivates us best is an understanding of our collective goals, our role in achieving those goals, and how we’re doing.

9It’s not advertising that makes a product or service successful. It’s great design or great service.