New Financial Year. What's Your Message?

Deep dive article (5-minute read) as part of Strategic Insights in the Lead Different newsletter

While most leaders are doubling down on financials, operations, and tech, a quieter competitive advantage is playing out in plain sight: communication. The ones who know how to use it strategically, deliberately, and consistently will outpace those who treat it as an afterthought.

With that in mind, What’s shaping C-suite decisions right now where communication could drive real progress?

1. AI and digital transformation remain front and centre

2. Efficiency and cost discipline are taking priority over unchecked growth

3. Cybersecurity and compliance are under intense scrutiny

4. Workforce reskilling is critical to future readiness

5. And profitability, not just growth, is the new performance marker

To help you effectively communicate strategy in the next six months for the above five agenda items, download the H2 2025 Communication Checklist for Business Priorities.

Next: the four critical comms steps leaders need to follow.

 1. Before Anything Else, Set The Strategic Tone

Whether you’re coming off a strong first half or a messy one, the new financial year is an opportunity to define or reset the tone.

At the start of any new cycle, silence is tempting because many leaders are still finalising their strategies, team energy is low, and there’s a natural pull to wait until “things settle.” But here’s the problem: in the absence of clear framing, people fill in the blanks. And usually, not in your favour. Let’s say you’re in a growth phase; now’s the moment to rearticulate the ‘why now’ behind your ambition. If you’re pivoting or downsizing, this is your opportunity to reset trust and context before fatigue or cynicism sets in. Don’t leave your mid-year story to chance.

This is where a strong narrative gives people context, direction, and purpose. All it takes is a clear message: “what’s changed, where we’re headed, and how they fit in”.

 2. Communicate Strategy Simply (So it’s easy to remember and execute)

By July, the strategy deck has been circulated. What your teams (and investors) are hungry for is translation. What does the strategy mean for this quarter, this week, this decision? What’s in scope and, just as importantly, what’s not?

If you want your messaging to land in a cluttered, context-poor environment, simplicity is the way to go. Don’t overwhelm with too many words, slides and details. Do this exercise instead:

• Stop: What messages are outdated or creating confusion?

• Start: What new stories or priorities need to be seeded now?

• Strengthen: What’s working well but needs reinforcement?

The clarity you bring now will sharpen execution later.

3. Re-Energise But Leave Platitudes Behind

July often follows a period of burnout. Teams have just closed Q4 and weathered end-of-year pressures. Jumping straight into a new year with surface-level optimism can backfire. People don’t want fake positivity. They want to know the plan is real, and that leadership sees the ground as clearly as the vision. The best leaders at this time of year don’t just pump up people. They reconnect them to meaning. They acknowledge the grind, highlight early wins, and frame the next phase as both necessary and achievable.

4. Pressure-Test for Reputation Risk

As new initiatives launch, restructures are bedded in, or strategies are rolled out, reputational blind spots can suddenly and quickly appear.

Ask yourself:

• What could be misinterpreted about the changes we’re making?

• Are there people we haven’t brought along for the journey?

• Where does silence look like evasion?

July is a good time for a low-key reputational audit. No drama. Just a proactive scan of where trust might be wearing thin and where your message needs to get ahead of the story.

In Conclusion

The next six months won’t be defined by your strategy alone, but by how well you communicate it under real-world pressure. You’ve got competing priorities, rising expectations, and a team that’s looking for meaning, not just motion.

That’s why now, not later, is the moment to lead with clear and deliberate messaging. Not messaging as decoration, but as a core leadership discipline that drives execution, trust, and momentum.

You don’t need a thousand words. You need the right ones, clearly framed, well-timed, and aligned to your most critical moves. The H2 2025 Communication Checklist for Business Priorities gives you a practical starting point, but the power lies in how you bring it to life. Whether you’re steering transformation, stabilising post-change, or doubling down on profitability, the next six months are yours to define.

You can either own the narrative or let someone else (the market, customers, employees or your competitors) write it for you.

P.S.: If you missed it above, you can also download the H2 2025 Communication Checklist for Business Priorities here.

Enjoying this Lead Different article? If you haven’t subscribed, you can below for weekly short tips and deep dive editorials like this one.