The Clarity Manifesto: Why Clarity Matters Now More Than Ever

2 October 2025 Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Dr. Michael Gerharz

Walk into almost any workplace today and you will hear the same complaints whispered in hallways, vented in private chats, or muttered on the way out of yet another meeting.

“We’ve got so many updates but I still don’t know what’s expected of me.”

“The strategy deck looked polished, but no one can tell me what we’re actually supposed to do.”

“We keep hearing about transformation, but no one explains what that means for my team.”

These are not isolated grumbles. They are symptoms of a deeper problem: we are drowning in messages but starving for meaning.

And it’s getting worse. Hybrid work has multiplied misunderstandings. AI now floods channels with clever talk, adding to the noise. The media landscape thrives on distraction and simplistic truths. Leaders demand “clear messages,” yet often flinch when clarity exposes trade-offs, conflicts, or uncomfortable truths.

But instead of doubling down on clarity, people play along. They beautify instead of simplifying. They add complexity instead of focus. They soften instead of calling an issue what it is. In other words: They put on a performance that looks impressive but leaves people none the wiser.

Let’s do call it what it is: performance theater.

Performance theater can dazzle for a moment. It can shield leaders from uncomfortable questions. But it doesn’t create progress. At best, it entertains. At worst, it deceives.

What teams are desperate for instead is clarity. Not more information, not fancier words, but messages they can trust. Words that cut through the noise, say what needs to be said, and give them confidence to act.

Clarity has always mattered. But never before was it more important to stand for it.

Clarity creates progress

That’s why the Clarity Manifesto exists. It’s a way to remind ourselves, and each other, of the kind of communication we strive for: clear, truthful, and progress-oriented. It’s an invitation to step away from performance theater and toward something more honest, more human, and more effective.

It begins with a bold declaration: Clarity creates progress.

Take a moment to think about this. How often do we chase the fancy words instead? Like in “Leveraging agility to unlock excellence.”

But fancy words create buzz, not progress. They are made to compete with the noise. Meant to impress people.

But does it get them to act? Unlikely. Because honestly, what does this even mean? Let alone for someone on the factory floor.

Everywhere you look in organizations, you can see what happens when clarity is missing. Projects stall. Teams pull in different directions. Energy is wasted. And often, no one can even say why.

Progress happens when

• people see what’s true,
• understand why it matters,
• and know what to do next. 

Make that as clear as possible and progress becomes irresistible.

That’s why the manifesto continues: We refuse to hide behind jargon, performance theater, or persuasion games.

Jargon is a shield. It allows us to sound smart without committing to meaning. Performance theater gives the illusion of control without the substance. Persuasion games may win arguments, but they rarely win hearts.

None of this is in the best interest of progress, some of it even outright against it. All made to make you look impeccable, infallible.

But if you care for progress, these things are not what you show up for.

You show up to get right. Even if that makes you feel uncomfortable in the moment. Or, dare I say, even if that makes you feel more human … in a corporate world.

Lighting the path

When clarity leads the way, it shows up in the small, human moments.

It’s the manager who says, “Here’s the trade-off we’re making, and here’s why.”

It’s the project lead who anchors a 40-slide deck in one clear statement that comes from the heart and that everyone can carry out of the room.

It’s the executive who admits, “I don’t have all the answers, but here’s what I know, and here’s what we’ll try next.”

These are not performances. They are acts of leadership. And they change everything.

That is the spirit of the manifesto.

• Words chosen to inspire action, not just admiration.
• Caring more about getting it right than being right.
• Believing that better words really do create better worlds.

That’s what it looks like to light the path. Not through perfect words but clear ones. Not through performance but conviction. 

It’s a choice every leader, every communicator can make. In every message, every meeting, and every moment. A choice that turns words into progress.

Leadership is shifting

The Clarity Manifesto is just one expression of a much bigger movement we are seeing across organizations.

For too long, communication was treated as a support function. Leaders made decisions, communicators polished the message. The assumption was that words were a wrapping around the “real” work.

But today, more and more leaders are discovering the opposite: that words are the work. That the right message at the right time can shift a team, a project, even an entire culture.

Some of the many shifts we’re seeing:

• From persuasion to resonance. No more trying to win arguments at all costs, but instead finding words that people see themselves in and embrace as their own.
• From showmanship to service. Leaders stepping out of the spotlight to light the path for others.
• From complexity to focus. Cutting through the noise to make the essential stand out.

This is not just theory. It’s happening in boardrooms where leaders are willing to speak plainly about trade-offs. In team meetings where people dare to say what others only think. In organizations that distill a 100-slide strategy deck into a clear core credo that everyone can carry with them and that actually helps teams make choices in their day-to-day.

The rise of this movement is not accidental. It is a response to the exhaustion so many feel in the face of noise, spin, and endless updates that go nowhere.

What people crave is clarity. And communicators are stepping up to meet that craving. Not just as messengers, but as leaders who shape how organizations think and act.

An Invitation

That is why the Clarity Manifesto is not mine. It is ours.

It is for every communicator who has sat in a meeting and thought, “This doesn’t make sense, and we need to say so.”

It is for every leader who has resisted the temptation to hide behind buzzwords and instead chosen to speak plainly.

It is for every team who has made clarity the common ground to build on.

The manifesto is not so much a set of rules but a compass, a reminder that clarity is how we move forward, achieving together what no one could alone.

If these words resonate with you, they are yours to use, to share, to live.

Because in the end, clarity is not a solo act. It is a movement. And the more of us who light the path, the brighter it becomes.

Keep lighting the path!

PS: Access the Clarity Manifesto at https://claritymanifesto.org where you’ll also find a PDF version to download.

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Dr. Michael Gerharz helps leaders worldwide find the right words. He’s the author of “The PATH to Strategic Impact”, host of the “Irresistible Communication” podcast and shares daily thoughts on “The Art of Communicating”. You can reach him on LinkedIn.

 

Written by: Editor