Your Team Isn’t Lazy — They’re Just Foggy
Let’s talk about something that’s probably happening in your practice right now: your team isn’t taking initiative, projects are stalling, and you keep wondering, “Why can’t they just do the thing?”
Before you spiral into thinking your team is unmotivated, disengaged, or just plain lazy — pause. That sluggishness you’re seeing? It’s probably not laziness. It’s fog. And that fog is a leadership issue.
When expectations are vague, roles are squishy, and your “priorities” change every other week, your team is left in limbo. They want to succeed — seriously, most of them want to do well — but they can’t hit a target they can’t see. That’s where half-clarity does the most damage: it creates confusion that looks like underperformance.
And the kicker? You’re probably calling it a team problem when it’s actually a clarity problem.
How Half-Clarity Shows Up
Half-clarity is sneaky. It shows up when:
You give someone a new title but not a new job description
You hold meetings full of “updates” but walk away with zero decisions
You assume people “should just know” what to do next
Your SOPs live exclusively inside your own brain
Even well-meaning leaders fall into this trap. You promote someone you trust, but don’t map out the expectations. You assume a team member knows the end goal because you talked about it three meetings ago. You change direction without realigning priorities — and wonder why the team seems checked out.
The truth? Fog creates failure. If your people don’t know what the target is, they won’t hit it. And then you end up exhausted from course-correcting, clarifying, repeating yourself, or stepping in to “just do it myself.” Sound familiar?
Clarity = Freedom
We often think clarity is rigid. Like if we get too structured, we’ll kill creativity or turn into micromanagers. Nope. Clarity is what unlocks freedom.
When people know what success looks like, who owns what, and by when — they can actually own it. They don’t need constant check-ins. They don’t hover. They stop waiting around for the next instruction.
Clear expectations and shared vocabulary (like EOS tools and terminology) allow your team to move with confidence. No more guessing. No more dependency. And no more dragging their feet while you secretly seethe behind the scenes.
Want to Hear This Broken Down?
If this is hitting a little too close to home, I break it all down in this week’s Culture Focused Practice Podcast episode — including what “real clarity” actually sounds like, how to reset expectations without becoming a micromanaging monster, and how EOS gives you a no-BS framework for leading with intention.
Build a Culture of Clarity
So how do you actually fix this fog?
Define roles and responsibilities (especially when someone moves seats)
Document decisions and processes — even just in broad strokes
Normalize feedback loops and the phrase “I’m not clear”
Use systems like EOS to create rhythm and structure
When clarity becomes the culture, things start to shift. Teams step up. You stop babysitting. Accountability sticks. And burnout fades because no one’s constantly second-guessing what’s expected of them.
This isn’t about overhauling your business overnight — it’s about putting in place a structure that slowly clears the fog and keeps it from coming back.
👉 Want to actually implement this in your group practice? Doors are opening soon for the next round of my EOS Mastermind, where we walk through exactly how to do this — together.
Get on the waitlist now: www.taravossenkemper.com/eos-mastermind
About the Author
Dr. Tara Vossenkemper is a gently-candid consultant who’s been in the trenches of group practice ownership since 2017. With a hearty blend of depth, irreverence, and a solid dash of humor (or so she hopes), Tara helps practice owners navigate the can-be-messy process of hiring, culture-building, vision generating, people-y issues, and all the other things that keep you up at night. When she’s not consulting, she’s probably wrangling her animals or homeschooling her kids—because why not add more chaos to the mix?
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