It's a Yes and No answer 

One of the earliest editions of "To Be Clear..." included an article on understanding what your "yes" was saying "no" to. It really resonated with readers and it quoted a former boss of mine who used to say, "Whenever you say 'Yes' to something, you are saying' 'No' to something else - so let your "No" be intentional."  As befits the season, he is a very Wise Man and it's wisdom I've helped my clients apply with great success in their work and businesses. 

Normally, at this point, I would showcase a couple of clients and how this approach has helped them get the desired Outcomes they want. Today, I am going to give you an example somewhat closer to home. 

A few months ago, after some great feedback from clients and other users on the the first prototype version, I decided to commit to building, with my brilliant technical business partner, a full scale version of Digital ONION® - a thinking partnership tool powered by the ONION® framework flexibly delivered via AI. 

The idea was to build a tool which enabled more people to get all the benefits of ONION® - getting unstuck on big challenges, clearer thinking, practical more effective action, real results. Unlike normal AI or LLMs, it wouldn't overwhelm you with ideas or come up with generic solutions, rather it would help you to come up with and act on your own solutions. 

Building out a full scale product was a pretty mammoth undertaking, especially in the context of my wider life and my day job but integrity is one of the four pillars of my business and strategy coaching practice and I try to do myself what I encourage my clients to do. On that basis, it was clear that saying "Yes" to building out Digital ONION® meant that I was going to have to say, "No" to a couple of other things - at least for a time. And one of those things was "To Be Clear..." not because I don't love writing for and hearing from all of you but because it's too important to do in a half-cocked way.

So, a few months down the line, the other side of the hiatus, here's the progress report: We've built and started testing a fully functioning pilot of Digital ONION® which works a treat and has got rave reviews from users who have paid to use it. 

People who've used it have loved how it helps them to think more clearly for themselves and that it builds clarity, momentum and right-sized real action on their part. In other words, users start out stuck and then end up thinking more clearly and actually doing something concrete as a result of using the tool.

Here are a couple of my favourite bits of Digital ONION® feedback so far:

• “It helps you use your brain better”
• “I loved that it felt like ‘anti-AI AI’...It helped me think rather than thinking for me."
• “The brilliant bit was breaking my thinking and action into bite-sized chunks..." 

As you can imagine, we've been incredibly encouraged by user feedback so far. We're still testing, iterating and improving but we have started to assemble a great team and to talk to potential investors to help us speed up development and launch. 

If you're interested, here are a few simple ways to connect with what we’re building:

• Curious about Digital ONION® or the AI angle? Reply and set up a call.

• Know someone who’d be an ideal pilot tester? We have space for 1–2 more people who want clearer thinking on a meaningful decision as they head into 2026.

• Interested in the investment side? We’re beginning early conversations and are open to newer as well as more experienced investors, so let us know at hello@onionlabs.org. 

So, that’s what I’ve been up to during the “To Be Clear…” hiatus — building the biggest ‘Yes’ of my professional career so far. I couldn’t have done it without saying "No".

Perhaps there’s something in your work that needs you to say "No" so that a more important "Yes" can grow. Here are a couple of questions to help you on this: 

"To what do you want to say an emphatic 'Yes' in the coming weeks and into 2026?"

"To what will you need to say 'No' to make your 'Yes' happen?" and "What is that going to look like?" 

Let your intentional "No"s underpin your emphatic "Yes"ses and, as always, be in touch and let me know how it goes; I look forward to hearing from you. 

Next up, a way to get deeper clarity at work on the things that matter at a busy, and often exhausting, time of year. 

Bearing fruit

This can be a frustrating time of year as you feel the clock ticking to calendar year end with apocalyptic intensity. It can be hard to see the wood for the trees with any clarity as everyone focusses increasingly frantically on what isn't yet done. 

As a way to help you tackle this seasonal challenge to clarity at work, here's my favourite parable from the Bible:

[Jesus] also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4vv26-29)

I'm not very agricultural but I love the way the parable combines the miraculous (the life force in a seed sprouting and bearing fruit) with the mundane as the man "sleeps and gets up" and cracks on with his life and work. The seed does its work, "All by itself...though he does not know how." 

While no-one's work is as enormous or important as the kingdom of God growing, I think the picture can help as you try and get some clarity at work in these closing weeks of the year. 

As the year draws to a close, many of my clients feel they’ve “not done enough”.  But, as they pause and look carefully, they will see that there is fruit – sometimes more than they realised.

I've been thinking about this theme a lot over the last few weeks because of three recent events in the lives of my clients which I was privileged to witness.

A couple of months ago, one of my clients was deservedly appointed to a very high and important national office.* We have been working together for a while on this desired Outcome and it is an incredible achievement on her part. She is only the eighth person ever to achieve this high office from her professional background so she has had to bring tremendous entrepreneurial vision and energy as well as amazing hard work to get there. I was privileged to attend her investiture where I met and spoke to her family; when I introduced myself to one of her family members, she said, "Yes, I've heard all about you, you're Ranti, her coach. You've been invaluable to her in getting here!"

Last week, I attended an event about a new pioneering programme from the University of Cambridge which has just kicked off with its first cohort of founders (some of whom have already exited some very successful businesses). Cambridge has an extraordinary founder and investor ecosystem and those taking part in this programme are developing innovative solutions for social impact in areas from tackling homelessness to more equitable uses of AI to better healthcare solutions in the UK and across the world. When the director of the project introduced me, he said, "Ranti coached us and was instrumental in helping us to develop the genesis of this programme." **

The final example is from a couple of weeks ago when I was invited to be the coach-in-residence at a Fintech conference in London. It was wonderful to conduct twelve intensive coaching sessions in a day (just shy of my record!). But an even bigger privilege was seeing my first ever coaching client give an inspiring keynote talk. She is in the midst of building a third transformative business in eight years and is one of the most liked and respected CEOs in the space. She gave me an unexpected shout out from the main stage and also quoted my Very Wise Former Boss (see above) in her talk.

These are just a few recent examples where I've seen clients enjoy and be recognised for the fruit of their hard work. In each case, it was an enormous and unexpected privilege to hear them acknowledge that this was also partly the fruit of our work together. 

Fruit takes time to grow. As in the parable, gradually and then suddenly it appears. At this time of year, it is easy to focus on what you haven't done or what you'd like to do, but this is a good time to exercise the discipline of pausing to look at what has borne fruit. It will feel counterintuitive amidst all the frantic activity and noise but it will be worthwhile in massively increasing your clarity at work. 

Perhaps a project, idea or initiative which was just a seed a year or two ago has become real or had some tangible impact? Perhaps someone you've nurtured or mentored has started to really contribute? Perhaps you've tried or done something for the first time?*** 

Perhaps you've learned some new skills or gained new experience? Perhaps you're aware of some real inner growth at work - increased confidence or competence or leadership or resourcefulness or patience or grace under pressure? 

Perhaps a decision or seed sown in your professional life has borne fruit in your personal life or vice versa? 

Perhaps the fruit is not quite there but evidence of it is clearly sprouting above ground?

Whatever that fruit is, recognise it, be grateful for it, celebrate it, nurture it and learn the lessons it's teaching you as you look to bear fruit at work in the coming year.  

The clearer you are on where you have already borne or are already bearing fruit (however small it seems), the clearer you'll be on where to focus going forward for more clarity, satisfaction and fruitfulness at work in the coming weeks and year. 

So a couple of questions for you as we finish:

•  "Where have you borne fruit so far over this past year at work?" 
• "Where would you like to bear more fruit at work going forward?"

Finally, if you or someone you know would like help in clarifying and harvesting the fruit you would like to see at work, there are two ways I can help with that:

• Option 1 - Ongoing work: It's worth knowing that, because of the Digital ONION® build, I only have space for one new team/ organisational client and two new one-to-one clients. Annual price rises take effect in the new year so, even if you don't want to start until January, confirming by 18 December means you can:

– lock in current rates, and  

– start 2026 with much more clarity on where you’re heading and how to get there

If that might be the right next step for you or someone on your team or in your network, simply reply to this email or email me, rw@rwilliamscoaching@gmail.com, and we can find a time to talk.

• Option 2 - ONION® Clarity Session (Limited December availability): If you'd like some more focussed seasonal and immediate help getting unstuck, you're in luck! Following on from the popularity of last year's Christmas and New Year ONION® Reflect and Renew sessions, you can access a one-off 2025 seasonal special exclusively for "To Be Clear..." readers, your family, friends, colleagues and contacts. 

For those who want to start 2026 knowing what matters most and clearer on how to get there, the ONION® Clarity Session includes:

• Exclusive access to Digital ONION® as part of your pre-session work

• A 75-minute 1:1 clarity session with me with some clear next steps

• Optional January check-in

Price: £495 + VAT  

Early decision price: (until 15 December): £395 + VAT  

Spaces available: 6

To book: simply reply to this email with “Clarity Session”.

Clarity Sessions are unusual in two ways - I don't usually do one-off sessions and you can't usually work with me at these rates. There's limited December availability so, if you're interested, get in touch soon. 

Last year, some people gave a one-off ONION® Clarity Session as a gift — to a family member about to start a new role, a partner navigating change, or to a colleague/ team member setting bold 2026 goals. If you want to do that, I can provide a personalised digital gift card. One recipient last year said his session (a gift from his wife) was "The best present I've ever received!" 

As ever,

Ranti

*- Before you ask, she is not a cast member on the next season of Celebrity Traitors!

** - Get in touch if you'd like to know more about this programme at The Centre for Better Futures in Cambridge; I'd be happy to make an intro. 

*** - One of my clients recently gave his first talk - to 300 people.

Image of "No" scrabble tiles courtesy of Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Image of woman picking peaches courtesy of Christiann Koepke on Unsplash