"Well, that's sure as s#!t what you said!"

This week's newsletter is all about hidden communication-sabotage and a SUPER-TOOL to fix it.

You've had this conversation... (We all have.)

"That's not what I meant."

"Well, it's sure as s#!t what you said!"

And that conversation is a cockroach--for every time you've HAD that conversation, there are a hundred times it's gone unsaid.

??Stop Sabotaging Morale & Performance Just to Mitigate Risk

Your greatest asset is your people -- and they're also your greatest exposure to risk.

Unfortunately, the "best practices" to mitigate that risk are subtly sending messages that destroy morale and undermine performance.

It doesn't have to be that way.

You are invited to an exclusive LIVE virtual Leader's Leverage Q&A for executives featuring Special Guest: Aaron Goldstein , Top Employment Attorney:

You'll discover:

• How to protect your company while strengthening team dynamics
• Fresh approaches that boost both compliance AND morale
• Practical alternatives to traditional risk-management methods that -- halleluiah -- don't insult your greatest asset

No cost. No pitch. Pure value.

Seats are limited to ensure meaningful conversation: Register here.

?? The Mirage of Communication

It's a universal experience. NOT what I meant... IS what you heard... Because between what we intend to convey and the meaning others take from what we've said, there's almost always a gap.

George Bernard Shaw said it better than me: "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

The temptation: I'm in a hurry. You're in a hurry. We all want to move from communication to action NOW!

The cost: Every time we rush, we find ourselves fixing missteps later.

As our client Travis Moore, President of Jemco, reminded his team last week: "Efficiency means nothing if it's not effective."

Your 2025 SUPER-TOOL

One of the 8 Principles of Legendary Communication that we teach our client teams:

Super Tool: Be Obvious.

There are a number of implications of this game-changing principle of communication, collaboration, and leadership.

One that really hits home for people: Nothing goes without saying.

Actually say the thing that you think goes without saying.

You'll be amazed at how often it's news because, "What's obvious to you is not necessarily what's obvious to me."

Here's a harder to grasp, harder to employ implication of be obvious that'll SUPER-POWER your SUPER-TOOL...

Name what you see.

There's an unspoken (and unwise) rule most of us live by: We can only respond to WHAT people say (to the transcript), not to HOW they say it.

Here's the truth. It's better to break that rule. You'll almost seem psychic.

1) Watch for non-verbal changes in others':

• Body language
• Facial expressions
• Tone
• Breathing patterns, etc.

2) Simply name what you see—then investigate:

• "I noticed you just sighed... Tell me about that."
• "Looks like you just had a thought?"
• "Seems like you may have an objection..."
• "You've looked at your watch about 5 times... Need to be somewhere?"

How often does that kind of investigation happen in your workplace? Almost never, I'd wager. Yet it's exactly what transformed our client BizX's team culture. As CEO Bob Bagga said: "We were walking on eggshells with each other. Now we're telling each other what we need to hear."

Cost/Benefit

Consider what you'll accomplish in 2025 if the communication status quo does NOT change...

Now imagine what'll happen when the illusion of communication is replaced with effective communication...

How do you like them apples?

Not sure how to get started upgrading your team's communication? It can happen overnight. Let's talk about how you can singlehandedly trigger a transformation!