LEAD DIFFERENT - Issue 25

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

This week in:

• Reputation and Trust - Communicate data stewardship better

• Narrative Power - Real stories win. Fake stories cause distrust

• Influence and Framing - Level up persuasion skills with Cialdini

• Crucial Conversations - How to restore ‘safety’ in tense moments

• Internal Comms - Strong and direct language improves confidence

• Getting Clear - Simple + sophisticated words increase influence

• Ask Edith - Resetting clients expectations respectfully

• In The News - Bezos is back with Project Prometheus, and Satya Nadella disappoints as he bows out of keynote at Microsoft’s Ignite conference

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

Data Stewardship - Trust’s New Currency

As AI use and adoption accelerate, it isn’t just consumers who are wary of tech giants seeing too much.

Enterprise buyers are increasingly concerned about losing control over AI data flow – essentially, not knowing exactly how vendors will access or handle their proprietary data.

At the same time, more than 80% of B2B software buyers now factor a vendor’s security and breach history into purchase decisions, even as AI-powered SaaS tools demand deeper access to internal systems and sensitive workflows.

B2B customers don’t expect zero risk; they expect companies to minimise unnecessary collection, explain trade-offs clearly, and make controls easy to use.

The companies that win won’t hide behind compliance language or privacy pages nobody reads.

If your data story can’t be explained in plain English simply, and defended under scrutiny, trust is already leaking.

Is it time to review your privacy and security approach and importantly how you word it?

Narrative Power – The leadership story playbook

Authentic Stories Convince. Polished Stories Fail.

Being authentic is about deciding what you’re willing to admit.

Yet many tech executives and sales leaders, keen to preserve their status as ‘trusted experts,’ over-sanitise their stories to avoid looking imperfect or uncertain – even though that’s exactly what makes them human.

Customers aren’t evaluating you as a cold business entity; they’re evaluating you as a person.

Stories that signal true authenticity tend to do three things:

1. They show the sometimes tough, difficult and thorny path that led to success.

2. They admit the mistakes, blocks, and moments of doubt along the way.

3. They describe benefits and value realistically, without hyperbole or inflated ROI.

Psychologically, authenticity is a trust accelerant. When you reveal the uncertainty, the wrong decisions, the corrections, it triggers what researchers call credibility through vulnerability: our brains read it as evidence of honesty, not weakness.

When a story reflects reality rather than aspiration, the audience’s threat sensors switch off. What’s left is something rare in sales and marketing communication: belief.

It might be time to review your brand stories and case studies to make sure they’re grounded in the company’s true character and strengths.

Influence & Framing – Small moves, big impact

Cialdini’s 7 Principles in Tech Sales

When we ask people to invest in our solutions, they rarely decide on logic alone. Cialdini’s research shows that buyers rely on seven psychological cues that shape whether they believe us, trust us, and say yes:

1. Authority: People follow credible experts who demonstrate competence

2. Social Proof: They trust what others similar to them have already chosen

3. Reciprocity: When we give value first, people feel inclined to give back

4. Scarcity: Limited availability signals importance and prompts action

5. Liking: We say yes to people we genuinely like, respect, or relate to

6. Consistency: Buyers stick with what aligns with their stated goals or past commitments

7. Unity: Shared identity (‘people like us) strengthens affiliation and trust

Most sales and marketing teams use some of these principles some of the time. The advantage comes from applying them consistently across every every interaction, and every opportunity to expand the relationship once they become a client.

Is it time to level up how you use Cialdini’s principles?

Crucial Conversations – Navigating high-stakes comms

How to Recover The Moment Things Turn ‘Unsafe’

Conversations rarely start badly – they turn unsafe the moment someone feels misunderstood, judged, or threatened.

When safety drops, people shift into silence (withdrawing, avoiding, masking) or violence (arguing, blaming, controlling).

Most of us react to the behaviour, not the underlying fear, and the dialogue collapses.

The authors of Crucial Conversations offer a simple rule: you can’t make progress until safety is restored.

Two tools do this fast:

1. Use a Contrast Statement
   Clarify what you don’t intend and what you do intend.
   “I’m not saying this is your fault. I’m trying to understand what’s blocking us so we can solve it.”

2. Re-establish Mutual Purpose
   Remind both sides what you’re trying to achieve together.
   “We both want this project to succeed without burning the team out.”

These two moves reset the emotional tone, rebuild psychological safety, and reopen the path to real dialogue.

Is it time to get better at rescuing a conversation when it matters most?

Internal Comms – How to connect, not just inform

Confidence Rises With Clear, Direct Language

Employees take their cues from your words. Passive phrasing (“We should look at…”, “If someone could…”, “Maybe we try…”) doesn’t just sound uncertain – it transfers that uncertainty to the team.

Clear, active language signals direction, belief, and trust.

Use phrasing that builds confidence and strengthens performance:

• This is the direction. Align your decisions to it.”

• “You own the solution - choose the best approach and move.”

• “If anything slows you down, surface it - we clear friction clearly.”

People rise (or shrink) to the level of confidence leaders communicate. Strong, active language creates momentum, and gives people something solid to step into.

Getting Clear – Communication that cuts through 

Simple Words Persuade While Precise Words Signal Authority

The best communicators balance:

• Everyday language that keeps ideas accessible, and

• Sophisticated words including industry-related or technical terminology that demonstrate depth and mastery without overwhelming the listener.

Think of it this way: simple language builds the bridge to understanding; precise language strengthens the pillars of authority. Used together as needed, they deliver clarity that persuades and credibility that lasts.

Ask Edith - Your communication challenges, answered

Resetting Expectations With An Over-Dependent Client

Q: How do I reset expectations with a client who over-relies on us — asking for work outside scope, consuming extra hours, and pressuring my team for immediate responses?

A: Keep the relationship strong by clarifying boundaries - making them unmistakable:

1. What we will take on: “These are our priorities each month.”

2. What’s out of scope: “Anything outside this list needs separate approval or a new work order.”

3. How we respond: “Here’s our service window and how critical vs. non-critical issues are handled.”

If you reset expectations clearly, most clients will respect it. If you don’t, they’ll treat every boundary as optional. Be explicit that you’re acting in fairness to them - and to the responsibilities you’re accountable for.

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.