It’s Not What You Say, But How You Say It

Match your content with your intent

Cleombrotus Ordered into Banishment by Leonidas II, King of Sparta by Benjamin West, 1768 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

“My strength is the strength of ten,
Because my heart is pure.”
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1842

Did you ever plan a conversation in your mind, carefully mapping out your words and anticipating the response — a scene that a scriptwriter would envy — only to have the actual conversation go completely sideways?

Maybe you botched your opening or awkwardly stumbled over words after hearing a reply.

And in the end, you made the situation worse despite your sincere desire to improve it.

What happened?

You obscured your good motives with your poor execution.

Part of being a leader is making difficult decisions. Decisions that can impact the lives and livelihood of your people.

And the way you execute your decisions makes the difference between looking lik…