I recently had the honor of sharing a stage with Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command. It’s expected that he will be nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea. It was interesting to hear what he had to say, especially when comparing the similarities and differences between public and private leadership.

Admiral Harris’s military background was apparent when he talked about how important it is to give clear guidance. He said, “People follow orders better than they read minds.”

This really stood out to me. Imagine how catastrophic it is in a military situation when people aren’t absolutely sure what they’re expected to do. And I’ve also seen disasters unfold in the business world when clear direction wasn’t given.  

This notion of clear guidance is also highlighted in a new book called “Go Long: Why Long-Term Thinking Is Your Best Short-Term Strategy.” It’s a really short book—just 100 pages—and is a series of case studies that give a history of times when important decisions created huge turnarounds for companies.

There’s one story in the book about Alan Mulally, who was first the CEO at Boeing and then later at Ford Motor Co., where he is credited with the company’s $48 billion turnaround. It talks about how he kept a handful of rules on a single card and repeated them over and over. He used this same card for 45 years.

This clarity made it easy to hold people accountable. In fact, “Go Long” points out that Mulally rarely had to fire anyone. His clarity around the rules, and his insistence on holding employees to them, caused people who couldn’t change to realize it and to leave voluntarily. 

Many times we think we’re being clear when we’re not. What we think we said and what others heard can be shockingly different. Great leaders realize this truth. That’s why they make sure people are 100 percent clear on the rules. Then, they reinforce those rules at every opportunity. They live by them and make sure others do, too.

Clarity enables engagement and drives execution. People like clear boundaries. Vagueness and uncertainty (or mind reading, as Admiral Harris said) create stress and make mistakes far more likely to happen. Most people truly want to do good work, and they like leaders who make that easy for them.

What worked for Alan Mulally and Ford can work for any leader at any company. Here’s how to make it work inside your company:

— Spend time really thinking about the rules and values that matter most to you. Boil them down until you have a short list—maybe five or so—of guidelines. (Use simple wording. Nothing fancy.)

— Share them with the entire company. Post them on the website and your break room wall. Send them out in emails and texts. Maybe even write them on a card like Alan Mulally.

— Any time an employee doesn’t understand a rule, repeat it. Don’t worry that you’ve already said it. People will be grateful for the clarity.

— Always hold yourself accountable to the rules. Integrity is crucial for leaders.

— Hold others accountable, too. Because you’ve made it clear what the rules are, you can assume that when people don’t live up to them, it’s an issue of “skill” or “will.” If it’s a skill issue, provide the necessary training. If it’s a will issue, then as tough as it is, you have to let the person go. Nothing drives high performers away as quickly as low performers who are not dealt with. 

 A commitment to clarity is at the heart of every high-performing business. When everyone knows the rules, respects them, and relentlessly follows them, you can achieve amazing things.