Why should you believe what I say about clarity and why am I different? There are lots of coaches and bloggers that talk about being clear. Most of what they talk about is coming from self help books and other peoples work. How is my message different?

Background is the basic difference. I’ve spent more than 30 years as a systems engineer and physicist. What does that mean? Systems engineering is the science of making clear what you desire.

Granted it is in the field of building things but the approach is identical. I can and will tell you stories about companies that failed because they never asked what their desired outcome was. Or they tried to copy others blindly.

Individual lives are even more important. We walk through our lives never asking what we want or why we want it. We wonder where our path is and when our turn will come. We stir up our emotions to such a high point that clarity is a fading dream.

I’ve been a systems engineer on the Hubble Space Telescope, cutting edge lithography (think of the machines that make the chips in your computers, tablets and cell phones), eye surgery (LASIC), and DNA arrays.

The role of the chief systems engineer forces him to mediate between customers and the engineering design staff. This kind of interaction sharpens the definition of a new product. It also creates conflict. This conflict is critical in getting a product that the customer will buy.

In the case of individuals the conflict is between warring parts of you. But make no mistake not being clear about your desired outcome means your outcome will be soft and wishy washy.

So my approach to clarity is driven by systems principles and people skills backed by years of experience in mediating conflict. Being clear is hard. We have many distractions in our life and dealing with these deeper issues aren’t comfortable.

If you want an approach that is different and works, stay tuned.