Conversations
Everything that matters happens through conversation. Strategy, trust, conflict, creativity — they all live or die in how we talk to each other. Most organizations don’t have strategy problems; they have conversation problems. They can’t tell the truth without blame. They can’t disagree without drama. They can’t listen without waiting to talk.
Leaders who can’t converse can’t lead. Full stop.
Patterns I See
Performative talk: Meetings full of sound, no connection. Everyone’s playing roles.
Control disguised as clarity: Leaders think communication means broadcasting; it doesn’t. It means listening.
Safety deserts: No one risks honesty because the last person who did got burned.
What Leaders Miss
Conversation isn’t a soft skill; it’s the system architecture of trust.
Every real relationship — with people, partners, or customers — depends on rhythmic, truthful dialogue.
A good conversation isn’t scripted; it’s alive. It breathes, surprises, and evolves.
It’s not control that makes conversation productive — it’s presence.
When dialogue becomes ritual instead of performance, culture starts to heal.
Working With It
Create conversational space, not airtime. Silence counts. Interruptions kill trust faster than bad ideas.
Lead by listening. People will tell you everything if you actually hear them.
Risk something. Say what others are thinking but won’t name. Vulnerability is the invitation to trust.
Change the room, not the people. The tone, seating, and setting shape the talk more than the agenda.
Questions Worth Asking
What conversations am I avoiding because they might change everything?
What do I need to say that’s true but still kind?
How would our culture change if we replaced meetings with meaningful conversations?
Do people leave talks with me more free or more guarded?
Field Truth
Culture is built one conversation at a time — and destroyed the same way.
Lead the talk, and you lead the change.
