LEAD DIFFERENT

Welcome to Lead Different - delivering strategic communication on the edge of AI and upheaval - helping you shift thinking and mobilise change.

This week in:

• Reputation and Trust - Are you doing enough to prove trust?

• Narrative Power - How to capture stories in the small moments

• Influence and Framing - Control the language, control the deal

• Crucial Conversations - What to say when things reach boiling point

• Internal Comms - How to speak to thousands like it’s one person

• Getting Clear - Use uncomfortable silences to get clear insight

• Ask Edith - Cleaning up your professional reputation is possible

• The Leadership Imprint - Jack Dorsey, former CEO of Twitter

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Reputation & Trust – how to earn trust or get it back

Trust That Stands Up To Scrutiny

In B2B tech, your reputation isn’t shaped by what you promise, it’s measured by the evidence you show.

Clients want to see more than statements about security or compliance; they want proof. Demonstrating that you safeguard data, respect privacy, adhere to regulatory standards, and communicate with transparency is the foundation of credibility.

But the second step is helping customers build those same pillars themselves. When you provide tools, frameworks, and expertise that let them operate with the same level of trust, your reputation compounds.

The real differentiator is how consistently you surface this ‘trust’ evidence, across proposals, case studies, media presence, and client conversations.

Narrative Power – The leadership story playbook

Capture Stories In The Small Moments 

Big leadership stories often come from small, overlooked interactions.

A client’s thank-you email after your team solves a tough issue. A note praising quick turnaround.

These aren’t just compliments, they’re raw material for narrative power.

When you capture them in a central portal, you create a library of mini success stories ready to be shaped: problem, response, result.

Over time, these bite-sized interactions build a persuasive narrative about your culture, your people, and your value.

Don’t let positive feedback vanish in inboxes - turn it into story capital.

Influence & Framing – Small moves, big impact

When You Shape The Language, You Own The Deal

Last week, in How to Shape the RFP, we talked about seeding conversations, framing problems, and importantly, introducing your terminology into client discussions - and I can bet you’re not thinking about this enough, strategically.

It’s common advice to mirror a client’s language, and you should. Proposals and presentations land better when they feel familiar. But the real leverage comes when you shift from echoing their words to shaping their vocabulary.

For example: instead of repeating ‘integration project,’ reframe it as a ‘platform unification.

Instead of ‘fixing content sprawl,’ describe it as “establishing a single source of digital truth.”

Over time, if your buyer starts using your phrasing to describe their challenge or desired future state, you’re no longer just responding, you’re defining how your B2B buyer views their world.

Influence at this level isn’t about persuasion; it’s about creating a shared language where your solution is the natural answer.

Crucial Conversations – Navigating high-stakes comms

What To Say at Boiling Point

High-stakes moments demand language that lowers the temperature without losing authority. Three simple lines work when tension peaks:

1. Sales negotiation: “Let’s step back - what outcome matters most to you here?”

2. Angry customer: “I hear your frustration; let’s fix what’s in our control right now.”

3. Team conflict: “Both of you want the project to succeed, let’s start there.”

Each line steers the moment away from turbulence and toward common purpose, with empathy as the bridge.

Internal Comms – How to connect, not just inform

How To Be Human At Scale

The best way to connect authentically with employees at scale is to strip out corporate speak, weasel words, and verbosity.

Communicate like a human, use stories over stats, and acknowledge challenges in plain English - no euphemisms allowed.

A short video or note that feels personal (hint: use the word you or your so it feels like you’re speaking to one individual) has more impact than a polished take full of distant language. Compare, “FTEs will need to re-sign employment contracts” with “You will need to re-sign your employment contract.”

Regardless of the message, people respond better to what feels real, not what’s overly massaged by the marketing or legal team.

Getting Clear – Communication that cuts through 

The Awkward Pause Can Clear The Air

 Awkward silences feel awful - your stomach churns, skin prickles, palms sweat.

The dread makes most people rush to fill the gap.

Don’t. Practise getting comfortable with the awkwardness. Let the pause stretch.

The other person will often break first, blurting out what they truly think.

Those uneasy seconds aren’t empty; they’re the fastest way to get clarity on the thoughts of others.

Ask Edith - Your communication challenges, answered

Restoring Credibility After Reputation Collapse

Q: How do I rebuild my professional brand after being caught in a reputation fallout - where a former employee sued the company, secretly recorded managers (including me), and the story went viral across media?

A: Start by rebuilding trust through people, not just platforms. Find respected leaders willing to coach you, vouch for you, and open new networks. Contribute visibly, speak at industry events, share expertise freely, and let your actions outweigh old headlines. Hire a brand expert to help you shape your story, words, and presence on LinkedIn. Publish content that is useful, not defensive. Over time, consistency plus trusted advocates will reposition you.

Got a communication challenge you want answered in the next issue of this newsletter? Reply to this email with your question and I’ll give you my perspective.

THE LEADERSHIP IMPRINT

30-second read on what great, and not so great, leaders reveal about communication: what to emulate, what to avoid and what to apply today.