Latest Blogs
What the Tartan Army Taught Us About Saying Thank You
TL;DR When Scottish football fans flooded Boston and Providence for the World Cup, the cities didn't just host them well — they thanked them, loudly and specifically, and turned a few days of chaos into a civic memory. That's the real lesson here:...
Stop Saying “Like”: How One Word Undermines Your Authority
TL;DR: The word “like” is doing more damage than you think and many people are looking for ways to stop saying like in their everyday conversations. Here’s how to spot both versions of the problem, and the practical steps to fix them for good. I...
When the Decision Is Clear, the Explanation Is Simple
TL;DR If your messages keep ballooning into paragraphs, you're not overexplaining — you're underdeciding. Clear decisions produce clear communication. Fuzzy decisions produce long, hedged, suspicion-inducing word salad. Fix the decision first, and...
Crisis Communication Starts With Better Decisions, Not Better Messaging
TL;DR Most companies don't have a PR problem — they have a decision problem. Communication reflects decisions; it doesn't replace them. The best crisis response starts with clear leadership judgment, not better messaging. In a recent blog post, I...
Clarity Is Discipline: Stop Overexplaining and Start Making the Full Decision
TL;DR Clarity isn’t about dumbing things down – it’s actually about discipline. Most leaders fail because they bury their point under layers of context, caveats, and complexity. The way to make your message as clear as possible is to get to the...
Your Employees Are Your First Public. Start There.
TL;DR Too many companies treat employees as people who are on a “need to know basis,” which translates into them being the last people who know. If your team can’t clearly explain what’s going on, no media hit, press release, ad campaign, or social...
Stop Blaming PR: Why Your Reputation Starts with Your Decisions
TL;DR Bad press isn’t a PR failure: it’s a business decision made visible. Before you fire your communications team, ask yourself one question: is the story true? If it’s yes, you don’t have a PR problem, you have a business problem. And if there’s...
Why Your Feedback Isn’t Changing Anything (And How to Fix It)
TL;DR: Most feedback fails not because of bad intentions, but because of bad delivery. If you've said the same thing twice with no results, the message didn't land — and that's on the messenger. This post breaks down why common feedback habits...
Why the Wrong Messenger Can Kill Your Message
TL;DR Who delivers a message matters just as much as the message itself. When the wrong person shares an update, it doesn’t just create confusion, it erodes trust, stalls adoption, and costs organizations real time and money. The fix is simpler...
If Everyone Is Nodding, They Probably Didn’t Get It
TL;DR: When your team nods along in a meeting, it doesn't mean they understood — it usually means they didn't feel safe saying otherwise. Real communication is measured by what people do next, not how they respond in the room. Here's how to...
Say Less, Lose Less: The Streisand Effect Explained
TL;DR The first instinct when something goes wrong is to explain your way out of it as quickly as possible. But sometimes, the best approach is simply to say less. Over-explaining doesn’t fix a crisis; it only fuels it. The Streisand Effect is the...
The Hidden Price of Jargon in the Workplace
TL;DR Jargon may feel like a shortcut to sounding smart, but it’s actually one of the most expensive communication habits in the workplace. Every buzzword and acronym that goes over someone’s head costs you time, trust and real money – and the fix...
AI as a Pencil, Not a Pen: Why You Can’t Trust It to Finish the Job
TL;DR AI is a powerful tool for brainstorming and researching, but it’s not perfect. It hallucinates facts, invents experts and creates fake citations. Smart leaders use AI as a pencil to sketch out where they need to go, and not a pen. Always...
What Still Works – And Doesn’t – in Crisis Communications
TL;DR The way leaders respond to a crisis can make and break their careers. This piece dives into the four rules that will never change in crisis communications and how leaders can get ahead of when that day arrives. I found myself answering the...
RTO Reality Check: The Business Dinner Skills Everyone Forgot
TL;DR: RTO is bringing business and client dinners back and they’re becoming increasingly important. Learn why these moments are important and what you can do to stand out in a good way. Return to office pushes didn’t just bring back desks,...
The Pencil Mindset: How Humility, Editing, and Feedback Get Better Results
TL;DR A pencil is more than just a writing tool. It’s a powerful analogy of how leaders should lead their organizations – with iteration, feedback, and continuous improvement. Every year, I reset my big basket of pencils that sit on my desk....
Why “Get to the Point” Is Killing Your Impact at Work
TL;DR “Get to the point” isn’t about being concise — it’s about being clear. In fact, communication clarity at work is essential for ensuring your message lands as intended. When you skip the setup and rush to your conclusion, you strip away the...
Speaking Out Without Freaking Out: 5 Real Strategies to Find Your Voice
TL;DR Speaking up in meetings doesn’t have to trigger your anxiety. The secret isn’t perfection — it’s preparation and practice. Focus on making points, not paragraphs. Sit or stand like you belong in the room. Speak early, practice out loud, and...
Good AI Prompts Work for People: 5 Powerful Lessons for Real-World Leadership
TL;DR Good AI prompting and good leadership follow the same playbook. Whether you’re talking to ChatGPT or your coworker, clarity, context, format, and constraints are what make collaboration thrive. “Garbage in, garbage out” applies to people as...
Consistency in Communication: The Overlooked Key to Trust and Alignment
TL;DR: Consistency might be boring—but it’s the secret to clarity, efficiency, and trust. This blog explores how consistent communication builds alignment and momentum in any team. Let’s be honest. No one ever got excited about...