LEAD DIFFERENT - Issue 23

Welcome to Lead Different - rethinking communication for strategic minds in B2B tech.

This week in:

• Reputation and Trust - The 7 essentials of trust that impact profits

• Narrative Power - Craft the right storyline for the right audience

• Influence and Framing - Unlock your unique advantage

• Crucial Conversations - Words that move contract negotiations along

• Internal Comms - Helping teams finish the year strong

• Getting Clear - Pivoting strategy? Make it easy to embrace

• Ask Edith - How to break the ice with a CEO

• In The News - Elon Musk paints a vision of heaven or hell on earth, depending on your perspective

Already subscribed? Great to have you. If not, subscribe to shape bold moves.

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

Your Ongoing Trust Checklist

With 2026 approaching, here’s what drives the trust behind revenue, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and investor confidence - the seven essentials:

1. Treat trust as strategic, not a cosmetic exercise.

2. Be genuinely transparent about data use, decision-making and how you handle problems.

3. Embed ethical technology in the culture with visible leadership ownership

4. Prove competence through consistent delivery, secure systems and strong governance.

5. Show real stakeholder benefit, especially to younger users who are increasingly sceptical of tech intentions.

6. Watch early warning signs like growing employee distrust, exaggerated claims or repeated privacy issues.

7. Keep earning trust: people believe you when you stay clear, capable and consistent over time.

Keeping a tight focus on these 7 essentials will strengthen trust in 2026, because trust fuels long-term growth.

Narrative Power – The leadership story playbook

Story Set-Ups That Move Clients, Investors and Teams

Different audiences respond to different story set-ups, and great communicators choose the right one for the moment.

For prospective clients use The Quest: make them the hero pursuing the elixir – the thing (your solution) that restores strength or unlocks possibility. Your role is the guide, not the hero.

For investors, lean on the Origin Story: “Look where we came from and see how far we’ve come.” Progress is proof.

For employees, use the Unsung Hero story: spotlight people quietly doing meaningful work. It reinforces the culture you want and inspires others to emulate.

Every audience is waiting for a story that speaks to them – which one will you tell next?

Influence & Framing – Small moves, big impact

A Way To Figure Out What Truly Makes You Different

Most sales and pursuit teams struggle to articulate why they’re different because they start with answers instead of asking the right questions.

A better path is to interrogate your thinking across 4 question sets, covering:

1. Performance Proof

2. Hidden Benefits

3. Hidden Strengths

4. Future Advantage 

Each of the questions trigger a different mode of analysis - from what clients genuinely value, to what competitors can’t replicate, to the strengths you haven't fully named yet.

As you work through the questions in each set, a clearer, more defensible differentiator begins to emerge - one grounded in reality and not taglines.

To get a view of the questions, Download the pdf below.👎

Crucial Conversations – Navigating high-stakes comms

Keeping End-of-Year Contract Negotiations Alive

Year-end deals stall for predictable reasons: people disappear, get pulled into last-minute fires, or develop quiet cold feet and slip into avoidance mode.

If you need contracts signed before Christmas, don’t wait for people to resurface. Instead, do this:

1. Name the possible blocker early, in fact, get in front of it now:
   “Given the deadline, is there anything that could slow this down that we should surface now?”

2. Anchor decisions:
   “What needs to be true for you to sign before Christmas?”

3. Create momentum:
   “If we lock X today, we can finalise Y by Friday – does that work?”

4. When things drift:
   “I may be misreading – has this slipped in priority?”

And if you’re being ghosted, here are a few email/message subject lines that cut through fast:

• Have I misunderstood something important?

• Is this no longer a priority for you?

• Have I overstepped somewhere?

• Should I assume we’re pausing this?

• Did I miss a signal from your side?

Then, in the body of your email or phone message, keep the tension going with a brief supporting narrative - about 25-30 words.

For example, if your subject line is Have I misunderstood something important? you might write: “It looks like I’ve gotten something wrong. I don’t want to waste your time – happy to adjust if I’ve misunderstood the priority or next step.”

This kind of message often compels the recipient to correct you – and re-engage.

Direct questions that are humble and a little provocative, surface truth fast, and stop the avoidance that kills December deals.

Internal Comms – How to connect, not just inform

How to Help Your Team Finish the Year Strong

The final stretch of the year tests people’s energy and focus.

What teams need now isn’t motivational noise – it’s clarity, steadiness, and messages that respect their reality.

1. Acknowledge the load honestly.
   “The pressure is real. Thank you for carrying it. Here’s what matters most between now and year-end.”

2. Narrow the field.
   “If everything feels urgent, let’s decide what isn’t. These are the three priorities.”

3. Remove friction.
   “Tell me the blockers you’re facing. I’ll take ownership of unblocking them.”

4. Protect their time.
   “If it won’t change an outcome before Christmas, we’ll park it.”

5. Recognise real effort.
   “The persistence behind your work this quarter hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

Messages like these help your team finish the year with confidence.

PS: You can also apply this approach in managing client relationships, and their end-of-year expectations.

Getting Clear – Communication that cuts through 

If You’re Resetting 2026, Don’t Overcomplicate It

As you refine your 2026 Strategy, Unique Sales Proposition, or Vision, remember: the clearer the message, the stronger the alignment. For example:

1. Strategy 2026

Unclear:
“Our 2026 strategy will harmonise cross-functional capabilities to accelerate enterprise value and unlock synergies across our transformation agenda.”
Clear:
“Our 2026 strategy focuses on three priorities: improve how we work together, simplify delivery, and invest where we can grow fastest.”

2. Unique Sales Proposition

Unclear:
“Our platform delivers next-generation, end-to-end digital enablement that empowers organisations to reimagine operational excellence.”
Clear:
“What makes us different is simple: we shorten the time it takes to ship new digital features. No one does it faster.”

3. Vision Statement

Unclear:
“We aim to become the leading global ecosystem that reshapes how businesses orchestrate data-driven value creation.”
Clear:
“Our vision: help companies use their data to make faster, smarter decisions – every day.”

The simpler the message, the faster people move.

Ask Edith - Your communication challenges, answered

How to Break the Ice With a CEO

Q: I’m presenting our solution to the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company. The deck is strong, but what’s an effective icebreaker to warm the room and build quick connection?

A: Open with an unexpected, curiosity-led statement, like: “In preparing, we noticed something intriguing in your business that’s worth putting on the table early – it shaped how we approached this conversation.” This signals sharp preparation and respect, indicates the meeting will not be just a one-way presentation but a back-and-forth exchange, and offers insight without acting like you’re the smartest person in the room - it’s important to let the CEO hold that position.

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.

IN THE NEWS

A weekly look at tech leaders and companies in the news, how they communicate, and my verdict on whether they nailed it or missed the mark.