Leadership, It's About How you Say It

Communication is about content and delivery, fifty-fifty. But when it comes to leadership, it’s all about the delivery. Of course what you say matters, but how you say it, how you relate to folks, is what differentiates great leaders from the pack.

That means you can have innovative ideas, indeed you must, but if you can’t deliver them in a way that connects with people and relates to them in a meaningful way, you won’t get results. I've identified five things everyone can do to improve delivery so that innovative leadership becomes a reality. So, wherever you are in your journey to the top, I’m sure these 5 tips will help to improve your delivery so folks will want to be a part of whatever it is you’re doing.


Look people straight in the eye and really “see” them. If you take one thing away from this post, this is the one. It’s huge. I can’t say exactly why, but when you look someone straight in the eye, you’re initiating a potentially deep connection that can’t be achieved any other way. It also shows respect, i.e. there’s nothing more dismissive and demeaning than not “recognizing” someone by looking directly at them.

Be direct and genuine. It can be hard to be straightforward and direct with people. Absent it adds layers of complexity that make it so much harder to establish transparency. Actually, the more direct and genuine you are with people, the greater their sense of trust and the more respect they’ll have.

Executive presence isn’t about power and domination. This is perhaps the biggest misconception about executive presence. It doesn’t come from command and control, it comes from connecting and relating, from sharing your passion in a way that’s meaningful to others. It breaks down barriers.

Learn to be a storyteller. People relate to stories and storytellers. People don’t remember facts and figures or even logical arguments as well as they remember stories. They also find it easier to connect with storytellers. If you really want to relate to people in a deep way, tell them stories they can relate to.

Increase your self-awareness. How you say things is more about how you feel than what you think. If people have trouble relating to you or respecting you, chances are you’re not as self-aware as you think you are. The only way to change that is to find out what employees, peers, and your boss like and don’t like about how you communicate. Being open to feedback is the only place to start.

Have you identified innovative leadership communication styles that work? What ways are you connecting with people and relating to them in a meaningful way?