Sometimes the assignment is obvious.

Brew the coffee. Make the widget. Fill out the spreadsheet. Clock in. Clock out. Do that until you retire to a retirement home in the tropics.

But the age of industrialism is over.

It doesn’t work like this anymore.

The 21st-century workplace is about solving problems, creativity, connections, and innovation.

Clarity can be a tough nut to crack.

We’re not really making widgets anymore. But the clarity we once had with widget-making was certainly nice. There is something comforting about knowing exactly what to do and how to do it.

Here are three questions I use when I’m swimming in a sea of ambiguity and need clarity on any given project.

1. Who am I serving?

2. What is the real problem?

3. What is my next action?

Bonus question: Why does this matter?

Simplify and clarify. It’s the only way I know to get my head around the 2019 workplace.