Sally Withers
Chief People Officer
Leadership is more than just decision-making and strategy—it’s about connection. When considering successful leaders, they don’t just set the vision; they communicate it in a way that inspires action, builds trust, and drives results. Satya Nadella shifted Microsoft’s culture from ‘know it all’ to a ‘learn-it-all’ mindset and their results speak for themselves.
Communication remains one of the most underrated and underdeveloped leadership skills. A survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit found that miscommunication is a major cause of workplace failure, resulting in delays, missed goals, and lost revenue.
So, what does effective communication really look like in today’s leadership environment?
As a member of a Senior Management Team in a fully remote environment, we often consider the benefits of in-person communication and the power of this should not be underestimated.
Rooted in neuroscience, psychology, and evolution, in-person communication engages mirror neurons for empathy, triggers oxytocin to build trust, and utilises multiple senses for deeper emotional impact. With 70-90% of communication being nonverbal, facial expressions, body language, and tone enhance understanding, while the brain processes face-to-face interactions more efficiently and accurately.
Can effective communication be achieved in a fully remote environment? I believe it can. Some of the science can be captured remotely by applying similar strategies used in face-to-face communication, with some adaptations to fit the virtual environment.
This post begins a series over the coming weeks exploring research and methods to address this challenge.
Clarity Over Complexity
In the brilliant book Smart Brevity, the emphasis is on clarity, efficiency, and impact in communication, cutting unnecessary words whilst keeping the message compelling. Here are the key principles:
- If remote, then camera on – Should be the norm rather than the rule; enhances non-verbal communication, accountability, psychological safety and efficiency.
- Lead with the essential – Start with the key takeaway.
- Be concise – Cut fluff, use short sentences. No rambling.
- Make it skimmable – Use formatting and bullet points to guide attention.
- Provide context – Explain why it matters and give just enough detail to avoid overload.
- End with action – Tell the audience what to do next.
To achieve this, leaders must understand and genuinely believe in what they are communicating because it directly impacts credibility, influence, and their ability to inspire others.
Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Winston Churchill, Madeleine Albright and Brené Brown all used concise, impactful, action-orientated communication to distil complexity into digestible communication.
Leaders, write your message, then cut 50% of the words while keeping the key point intact. Make your communication clearer, more engaging, and easier to act on. It saves time, builds trust, and ensures staff quickly understand and retain essential information.
