by

Dr. Oleg Konovalov

– Author, Coach, Consultant, Premier Expert on Vision and Visionary Leadership (oleg@olegkonovalov.com) and Dave Ulrich – Rensis Likert Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan, Partner, The RBL Group (dou@umich.edu)

Chaos has always been part of human existence, but today it feels relentless. With the accelerating pace of change, disruption is no longer an exception—it is the rule. From 2011–2016, disruption (as defined by Accenture) rose by 4 percent; between 2017–2022, it skyrocketed by 200 percent. The increase is likely even higher today.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has added to the turbulence since it is used in so many ways (accessing and sharing information, writing or editing documents, making videos, improving work processes, and so forth). Poor AI choices increase risk and amplify chaos, while clarity of purpose transforms AI into opportunity.

Chaos also comes from uncertainties around social, economic, political, and environmental trends that affect our personal lives and are outside of our control. Business and HR leaders have a responsibility to lead people and organizations out of chaos by finding certainty in uncertainty and helping people continue to develop their full potential (variously called self-actualization, growth mindset, flourishing, learning agility, peak performance, strengths-based development, and others.).

The Cost of Chaotic Thinking

The Chaos Impact Pyramid in figure 1 shows the escalating costs of chaos. Starting at the top:

• Unclear thinking: Distraction, fear, and noise prevent leaders from processing complexity.
• Confused priorities: Everything feels urgent; nothing feels truly important.
• Reactive choices: Short-term firefighting replaces long-term vision.
• Team misalignment: Unified goals splinter into siloed directions, and collaboration erodes.
• Exhaustion and burnout: Constant reactivity drains morale and engagement.
• Loss of trust: Psychological safety collapses and credibility slips away.
• Cultural toxicity: Dysfunction spreads, high performers leave, and momentum fades.
• Stifled innovation: Fear and fatigue kill creativity and agility.
• Business decline: Execution falters and leaves organizations vulnerable to shocks and reduced stakeholder value.

Each layer of the chaotic thinking leads to the next, increasing the damage and placing a business on a likely journey to death row. But chaos may be replaced by clarity.

What Clarity Means

If chaos is a virus of human living, then clarity is the antidote. If we have a mindset of chaos, we see chaos in everything around us. If we have clarity in our minds, we see the world clearly and realistically and can progress forward with confidence.

Leaders who create clarity out of chaos define solutions and create bridges between the uncertain present and a more predictable and prosperous future. Clarity is an act of conscious thinking and leads to success. Clarity enables leaders to see where to go and what to do in the face of chaos, both for organizational development and personal growth.

Leaders and organizations with marginal clarity (which we see at about 25 percent as judged by shared stakeholder expectations) operate randomly without integrated solutions. Businesses with high clarity (about 75 percent or higher) have not only a shared direction but a commitment to make it happen. While most leaders would agree that clarity matters, being clear about how to achieve clarity remains a challenge.

How to Progress Towards Clarity

We have performed personal research and studied others’ research on gaining clarity (variously called strategic unity or alignment, shared purpose, shared mental models, coherence, or north star), and we have taught and coached hundreds (even thousands) of executives on how they can gain clarity for themselves and their organizations.

Let us suggest six actions that lead to clarity using the PASSAT acronym: P for Pause, A for Abundance, S for Structured Thinking, S for Simplicity, A for Authenticity, and T for Thinking into the Future (figure 2).

1. Pause for Intentional Silence

Chaos constantly compels response and action, whereas clarity necessitates a counterintuitive act—intentional pausing. In silence, not in noise, our thoughts and solutions converge. Question: “How many wrong decisions did I make because of being rushed by chaos?”

When facing chaos, be a calm warrior; stop being a worrier. Practice mindfulness by slowing down, consciously breathing out (and in),h and meditating daily. Relish silence as a space where your thoughts will clarify. In stillness, we thrive. By pausing, we win.

2. Abundance of Opportunities

Clarity is not about doing what others already do. Every groundbreaking idea is created based on exploring opportunities that weren’t observed by others.

Opportunities are meant for us to act on them, not to sleep on them, waiting for a miracle to happen. Question: “Do I wait for opportunities to come or do I create and act on them?”

Remember that limited thinking confines us to limited goals. But a creative mindset sets goals that go beyond the ordinary. When our goals are bigger than our problems and our aspirations exceed our resources, we create a better future.

3. Structured Thinking

Structured thinking (rooted in the science of taxonomy) is a feature of a productive mindset. Chaos makes the world unstructured, where structured thinking is a response to this challenge and a critical element of clarity. Question: “Are my thoughts structured around a system or not?

If thoughts are structured, you can see immediately what is possible instead of being negative and thinking nothing is possible. The human capability taxonomy is an example of a structured framework that delivers stakeholder value.

4. Simplicity

Clarity demands simplicity. Simplicity is the panacea to the complexity of chaos. Simplicity, played out in simple steps, enables us to maintain control and consistency: no one can control inconsistency. Question: “How much am I losing because of complications?”

Simplicity comes by asking a simple question, generating broader options, then focusing on key actions. See figure 3 for a framework or process for how to turn complexity into simplicity.

5. Authenticity: Be True

When leaders exercise their authenticity and quietly remove their masks and let judgment fall away, they create even more consistency. This consistency is bred out of a reliability of acting true to oneself and one’s values. Authenticity is the psychological core from which one creates meaningful, not artificial, personal clarity. Question: “How did I reveal my inner potential while facing chaos?”

Authenticity creates a reliability when it comes to predicting outcomes. Authenticity is essential for clarity. Otherwise, we react more to chaotic influences outside our control instead of our constant values.

6. Thinking into the Future

Leaders are accountable for the space between the present (today’s actions) and the future (tomorrow’s aspiration). How leaders fold the future into the present through thoughts and actions defines their abilities as leaders. Clarity demands thinking beyond today and often beyond oneself to define a future that others want to be part of. Question: “What limits my thinking?”

To cast our thoughts into the future, we employ our core strengths and skills that are relevant and applicable at any time, particularly intellectual skills. Thinking forward is exercising proper stewardship of the future.

Conclusion

We need clarity not just to escape from chaos once or twice, but to stay beyond chaos, plotting a path to success. We need visionary clarity to repeat success after success. To lead amidst chaos, leaders must first lead themselves with clarity.

Success comes to those who see beyond chaos with clarity. Now is the time to act to dispel chaos.

Oleg Konovalov’s new book, Beyond Chaos: How to Create Clarity When Everything Falls Apart, guides us more deeply through the subject of leading with clarity.

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Dave Ulrich is Rensis Likert Professor Emeritus at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and a partner at The RBL Group, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations and leaders deliver value.