Speak with Purpose
Communication that builds trust, creates alignment, and moves people to action.
Why it matters
The best ideas fail without communication.
Every technology leader has experienced this: you have the right strategy, the right architecture, the right plan. But you can't get buy in. You can't get funding. You can't get your team aligned. The problem isn't the idea. It's how you're communicating it.
What it looks like in practice
Speaking with purpose covers everything from how you present to the board, to how you run your team meetings, to how you give feedback, to how you write an email. It's about being deliberate with your communication instead of defaulting to technical jargon and hoping people follow.
The biggest communication mistake technology leaders make is talking about technology when they should be talking about outcomes. The board doesn't care about your Kubernetes migration. They care about reliability, speed, and cost. Translate your technical work into business language.
How to develop this
Communication is also about listening. The best technology leaders are exceptional listeners. They hear what's being said and what's not being said. They pick up on the concerns behind the questions. They create space for dissent because they know that silence often means disagreement, not agreement.
Start by auditing your communication. How much time do you spend explaining technology versus explaining impact? How clear are your team meetings? Does your team know what matters most right now? If you asked five people on your team what the top priority is, would you get the same answer?