Mahendra Singh Dhoni is taking strike against Mark Wood. The Chepauk stadium is in a right ol’ ruckus — they have missed their ‘Thala’. The camera pans to someone in the crowd holding up a chart paper that duly informs everyone it has been 1426 days since Dhoni and CSK have played at their home ground. Wood is no slouch. He bowls a 140-ish kmph bouncer outside off. Dhoni, 41 years old then, hooks it over square leg to the second tier of the gallery. No one says power is permanent. Clearly, Dhoni did not get the memo. The ball before had also been carted dismissively for a six on the offside. Wood gets Dhoni on the third ball, ending his innings at 12 runs off 3 balls. The result of the match: CSK wins by 12 runs. The reason: clarity.
Clarity is a recurring theme in my work in sport and high performance. A high-profile corporate recruiter who works with companies to hire upper-level management once told me: “Screw degrees, can the candidate make mud into clarity cake? If so, they can perform under pressure.” This has been confirmed by Olympic medallists, World Cup winners and successful coaches of every kind.
But it seems so simple (almost too simple), doesn't it? How does it work? Clarity leads to ‘focused attention’, activating specific regions of the brain that allow us to integrate complex pieces of information and engage in a step-by-step process to accomplish something. Dhoni in that IPL match had clarity: go out there to hit boundaries, get out trying if need be. More recently in the Ashes, the Aussie wicketkeeper, Alex Carey, had the clarity to see Jonny Bairstow walking out of the crease and stump him.
Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Pat Cummins celebrate after running out England batsman Jonny Bairstow
Getty ImagesThe 3 Cs
But is clarity so simple? Let’s see if the average person has it. Typically, if you think about it, an average person has three major roles that take up their 24/7. A member of a family. A member of a friend circle/partner. An executor of a job/student role. Each of these roles have conflicting demands that reduce clarity in their domain or across other domains. Clarity gets compromised every time the WhatsApp group chimes with a “Let’s do something Saturday!” without anyone seeming to agree on who, what, where, when and, much less, the larger why. Very rarely does such a plan come to fruition (That’s why I am still waiting for that Goa trip with friends!).
Switch to the professional context. An email comes in from the boss, “Get this done” with little clarity on what this is or who might be able to help with it. A funny thing happens here, the lack of clarity leads to gaps in our brain processes. Our ever-faithful brain not wishing to abandon us fills it with “what if” thoughts that typically count as the beginning of anxiety.
So how to achieve clarity? I often adopt what is called the 3C framework in high-performance. Evaluate a role in terms of 1) Can Control; 2) Can’t Control and 3) Complex Control. Now, remember, you have to really break it down. Really crush it to its basic pieces. The 3Cs then expose where you have clarity and where you don’t. If you find yourself being in the Complex Control zone too much, you are inviting trouble. Think of every time you see someone or are yourself stuck in a situationship. It usually begins with “It’s complicated” (Damn you Facebook for that status option in 2014 or so!).
Clarity! It's the secret recipe. Ask your coach what they want you to do. Ask your partner what restaurant to pick for dinner. Ask your mother if it is one teaspoon or two of garam masala while giving tadka to the onions. Then ask yourself: “Can someone else see what I am trying to achieve? Do I have that level of clarity?” Dhoni did on April 3, 2023. The world could see it. Try it. Commit to clarity. Maybe you’ll celebrate with a glass of very clear rocks and your choice of beverage to pour on it after.
