Great leaders make sense.

By that I mean two things. First, they actively seek to understand the world. They construct meaning, interpret events, connect dots, analyze situations, and explore what to do about it all. Like people working on a jigsaw puzzle, they turn the pieces around and around until they fit.

Second, sense-making leaders take the time to explain, not just to inspire. They know how to communicate their logic and they can tell a story about it, so that people say, "Yes, I get it. That makes sense." President Franklin Roosevelt's famous fireside chats were a superb example of sense-making leadership, and displayed the kind of communication and response that occurs when the facts are marshaled in service of clear meaning.

In the midst of all the economic and emotional confusion being experienced right now, does your leadership make sense?