A strategy statement has one job: It must help people decide.Every day across your organization, teams face choices about what to build, fund, prioritize, or abandon. Strategy exists to guide those choices.Sounds good in theory, but we both know that in practice, it’s almost never that simple. You’ve certainly been in a meeting where that became obvious. The one that got tense when two execs came to opposite conclusions and both of them justified it with “the strategy.”But you know what? That...
16 days ago • 1 min read
What the Best Leaders Say Issue 9 Strategy discussions often revolve around the search for the next big idea. When performance stalls or alignment loosens, leadership teams frequently respond by changing the strategy in search of that big idea. Yet in many organizations the deeper problem is not the absence of a new idea. It is that the existing one has never been refined enough to guide decisions. This essay explores a pattern visible in companies as different as Yahoo, IKEA, Google, and...
25 days ago • 10 min read
Look at any message that actually moved people. You will find the same four properties every time. Plain and simple so people understand it immediately.Actionable so they know what it means for them.Transformative so something actually changes.Heartfelt so people believe it. Conveniently, the four spell PATH. Once you see the pattern, it feels almost embarrassingly obvious. Which makes this hard to explain: Why is it so rare? You would expect to see it everywhere.Strangely, you don’t. Most...
27 days ago • 1 min read
Here is something most leadership communication advice completely ignores: The higher you rise as a leader, the harder it becomes to say things plainly. Which has nothing to do with skill. The reason is much simpler. And it hurts a little: Clarity creates consequences. Plain and simple words force a choice. If a CEO says: “We will exit this business within two years.” Everyone knows what that means. If they say: “We are exploring strategic alternatives to sharpen our portfolio.” Everyone can...
29 days ago • 1 min read
“I’m just not charismatic enough.”This thought has killed more careers than you’d believe. The problem is that it’s simply not true.Because it gets charisma upside down. Charisma is an effect, not a cause. It’s what people experience when they are in the same room with someone who is fully present. Who listens so intensely that they feel “this person really gets me”. Who gives you the feeling that nothing is more important right now than being here in this room with you. Who often says the...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
If you could say exactly what you mean without worrying whether it sounds clever or impressive, what would you say? If you could let go of the judgment of others and tell the story the way you actually feel it, what would you say? If you could skip the selling and simply get to the point, what would you say? Why don’t you? Sometimes we just overthink it. Keep lighting the path,Michael __You’re reading What the Best Leaders Say, my reflections on finding words that drive action.If today’s...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I bet that not even a single Porsche has ever been sold because of the car’s specs. I mean, of course there are 100 good reasons for why a Porsche is a great car, especially one that’s better than a Nissan or a Mitsubishi. The only problem is that there are just as many good reasons that prove the opposite. The good reasons miss the point of buying a Porsche. This ad gets the point. People who buy a Porsche don’t buy it for the good reasons. They have very personal reasons for doing so. One...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
You’ve built a great place to work. What more do they want? With your bold purpose the company should inspire them. They should appreciate the stability, the freedom, the growth paths. They should see how many extra miles leadership goes to “create belonging.” It’s super unfair, isn’t it? On paper, your team really should love working here. Plus, in the end, it’s also a professional agreement. Which it is. But professional agreements don’t override human nature. The thing is, loyalty is not...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
What the Best Leaders Say Issue 8 In leadership circles, the “Patagonia Case Study” has become a bit of a cliché. It’s usually presented as a moral fable: Be virtuous like Yvon, and you will win. A nice sentiment for sure, but utterly useless advice. It suggests that unless you are saving the planet, you cannot replicate their loyalty. And it certainly isn’t helpful if you are selling enterprise software or financial services rather than fleece jackets. But if you strip away the moralizing,...
about 1 month ago • 15 min read
