The Secret to Sounding Like a Senior Leader? Say Less.

Welcome to my newsletter! I'm Dave Anderson, an ex-Amazon Tech Director and GM. I write this newsletter I've called Scarlet Ink, which is a weekly newsletter on tech industry careers and tactical leadership advice.

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I've been in this situation repeatedly, and I think the anecdote is fun to share.

You walk into a conference room for a meeting with around 10 people that you don't know. They're a mix of junior and more senior folk, including the most senior person in the room, a VP. You're supposed to decide on some important piece of a project.

Instead of politely giving introductions as they should, they begin discussing the topic. They're now talking about things, but you really don't know who anyone is.

Some people ramble. Others don't give context. One sounds a bit angry. You point out that one person's idea won't work.

Then someone at the table (who hasn't said anything yet) says, "It seems we don't have enough data to decide which path is best. So instead of deciding today, I think we should decide which data to gather that would enable us to make a data-driven decision later."

That made sense. That was a clear way of summarizing that we were going to argue until the end of time, not necessarily because we disagreed, but because we didn't have enough data to be able to decide.

I immediately guessed (and it was verified a few moments later) that this was the VP in the room. I could have guessed earlier because he was an older white male, but that's for a different article. Instead, it was the fact that someone had taken a step back and articulated why our meeting was off the rails.

I don't know which is the chicken or the egg regarding senior leaders and this clear communication style. Do you develop better communication as you become more senior? Or are only those with clear communication promoted? I suspect it's more the latter.

Clear and concise communication isn't only to distinguish yourself as a smart senior leader. It's also a critical component to interviewing well. Interviewing is the process of communicating that you're going to do well in a role. I'd argue that half the interview is testing your communication skills.

It's also how co-workers form their first impression of you. It impacts how much people want to work with you, or go along with your plans. In essence, it's the connecting force between people. This can be a painful and harmful force, or one that helps you along the way.

What is clear and concise communication?

Strong leaders communicate necessary information in as few words as possible. They plan what they want to say. They don't only react, but they also think a few steps ahead to figure out where the discussion needs to go. If questions are asked, they answer them immediately or communicate the necessary information. They tailor the breadth and depth of their communication to the situation and audience. And then they stop talking to allow others to have a chance to react.

How can you tell where you could improve?

1. If you notice that you frequently get follow-up questions in meetings (or interviews), you may be missing relevant details when you explain something. Being concise without necessary details makes more work for everyone.
2. On the other hand, if you're interrupted regularly, you may need to work on being concise. You should spend a few more moments planning exactly what needs to be said, and force yourself to cover those details first. And then stop talking.

Some skills become less important as you become more senior. For example, the ability to write high-quality code becomes less important as an engineer becomes more senior. Similarly, a design director's ability to design the perfect login page becomes less critical.

As your career advances, your communication skills become a more critical part of how you're perceived by other leaders. The most senior leaders spend a significant percentage of their time communicating, and their communication skill is a core aspect of why they're in their role. There are a few reasons that we like podcasts and YouTube videos with CEOs and execs. One large reason is that they (generally) communicate clearly.