Lencioni v bloom

Lencioni says clarity wins. Bloom says uncertainty is power. Who's right?

I've read my share of Lencioni books over the years. In fact I really enjoy them because they are easy to understand and full of good wisdom.

And I love Sahil Bloom's Curiosity Chronicle. It's a great newsletter packed with nuggets of sage advice.

Recently I noticed a dissonance between the work of these 2 much respected writers and I've been reflecting on this. It is often the way that the points of tension create more insight.

So, what's this tension I am talking about?

The Advantage, in my view one of Lencioni's most important works, emphasises the crucial importance of leadership providing clarity. 'The best leaders obsess over clarity', he says.

Bloom on the other hand, took my stabilisers off when he recently said, 'tolerance for uncertainty is the most valuable human trait.' There is a big statement!

Bloom goes on to say, 'The greatest rewards in life go to those who can show up every single day even when the rewards are uncertain. The one who can tolerate the most uncertainty is the one who will eventually win.'

Nicholas Taleb was spot on when he said, 'there is more information in pain that in pleasure.' And we certainly find uncertainty to be painful! 

So who is right? Is it clarity, clarity, clarity that matters, or is it the ability to tolerate a lack of clarity and certainty that wins the day?

The answer, in my opinion is, not surprisingly..... both. To be fair, in The Advantage, Lencioni does say, 'Once a leadership team is behaviourally aligned, there is not greater priority than creating clarity.'

After mulling on this for a couple of weeks, even having a brief chat with a friend who leads a large NGO, I have realised that clarity in who you are is utterly foundational.

There is so much that you will not be sure about. What happens if we spend this money on a marketing plan? What would the outcome if I reduce our staffing budget or invest twice as much in technology?

But you can and must be sure about who you are.

You, and your organisation, must be sure about your commitment to integrity.

You are committed to showing up and giving your best, for service users, supporters and staff.

You cannot control outcomes. So why pretend that you can?

But you can and must lead on who you are.

You must model and promote the values you stand for. No ambiguity. No uncertainty.

But also tolerance for uncertainty in outcomes and rewards is equally as important.

I've held some responsible leadership positions and I’ve also been buried in the details in start-ups and what I can tell you is that without tolerating uncertainty of outcome, there is little to no upside to be gained.

Zero risk is a guarantee of no reward.

The more intelligent risk you can tolerate, the greater the rewards will be.

It’s not clarity of outcome that Lencioni demands, it’s clarity of purpose and identity. And Bloom isn’t advocating chaos, he’s challenging us to embrace unpredictability without losing our nerve.

Lencioni without Bloom will take you nowhere. Bloom without Lencioni will shipwreck you.

At Start Bay, we’re helping leaders navigate exactly this paradox: clarity of identity, tolerance for uncertainty. That’s what our fractional model is designed to support. No 121s. No holiday cover. Just trusted talent, doing the work that matters.

Read about Start Bay Fractional and email Mark @ hello@startbay.org for early access.