by Caroline Leach | Jul 13, 2026 | Communication, Leadership
Waiting to feel ready is costing you more than you think.
Especially when it matters most.
Years ago, an EVP asked for my thoughts on a communications issue.
I said I’d think about it and follow up.
Fair, right?
After the meeting, my manager pulled me aside.
“When a senior leader asks you a question, they expect a point of view in the moment.”
That stuck.
Because waiting has a cost:
1. You don’t come across as strategic
2. You get overlooked for bigger opportunities
3. And the team misses what you could have added
So why do we hold back?
↳ We second-guess our thinking
↳ We don’t have a perfect answer
↳ We assume everyone else is more certain than we are
(They’re not.)
Here’s what works instead:
Say this:
“Based on what you’ve shared, my initial thought is we should … .”
Add a relevant example.
Then close with:
“I’ll follow up with more detail this afternoon.”
You don’t need a perfect answer.
You need a point of view.
What do you say when you don’t have a fully formed answer?
by Caroline Leach | Jul 1, 2026 | Communication, Leadership
Most updates tell you what happened.
Very few explain why it matters.
Wrapping up spring semester teaching at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism brought this back again.
In strategic planning, everything comes down to one question:
What problem are we solving?
That’s where most updates fall short.
An operational update sounds like this:
“We launched the campaign, finalized the assets, and engagement is up 12% week over week.”
Clear. Efficient.
And incomplete.
A strategic update sounds like this:
“We’re addressing a drop in engagement among busy parents of children under 10. The campaign launched last week is designed to re-engage that group. Early signals are encouraging, with engagement up 12% week over week.”
Same work.
Different level of thinking.
The shift:
From activity → PURPOSE
From reporting → INTERPRETATION
From what happened → WHY IT MATTERS
If you want to be seen as more strategic, start here:
Anchor every update in the problem you’re solving. And how your work moves it forward.
Try this on your next update:
How is your latest work actually addressing the problem?
by Caroline Leach | Jun 8, 2026 | Communication, Executive Communication
You don’t need more prep time.
You need a better way to respond on the fly.
Someone asks a question you didn’t prepare for:
a client, a colleague, a manager, a board member.
Here’s what NOT to do:
1. Say you’re not prepared
2. Ask for more time
3. Ramble while you search for your answer
Instead, do this:
1. Pause. Breathe. Maintain eye contact
2. Ask a clarifying question
↳ “Can you say more about what you’re looking for?”
3. Listen carefully
Then:
Give a headline.
If you could only say one thing, what would it be?
After that:
• Add up to 3 supporting points
• Balance what they want to know and what you want them to know
Then stop talking.
Be comfortable with silence.
If they want more, they’ll ask.
If you genuinely need more time:
• Share your headline and key points first
• Then follow up with more detail
• Give a clear timeline
After the moment passes, reflect:
What went well?
What would you do differently next time?
Senior leaders aren’t necessarily the most prepared.
They’re the most clear under pressure.
You don’t need perfect answers.
You need clear ones.
What’s your go-to headline when you’re put on the spot?
by Caroline Leach | May 31, 2026 | Communication, Corporate Communications, Executive Communication
Positive communication isn’t pretending all is fine.
It’s something much more powerful.
Early in my corporate communications career, my manager said something I’ve never forgotten:
“Our job is to present the company in the most positive light, anchored in truth and integrity.”
At the time, I thought that meant focusing on the upside.
But I was wrong. Or rather, incomplete in my thinking.
Over time, especially in my work as an executive coach, I’ve come to see it differently.
Positive communication isn’t about changing the facts.
It’s about reframing the scenario.
The same situation can be described in two ways:
The glass is half empty.
Or the glass is half full.
Both are true.
But one highlights what’s missing.
And the other highlights progress.
That distinction matters.
Because how we communicate shapes how people feel.
And how people feel drives what they do next.
Reframing isn’t about ignoring reality.
It’s about showing both:
What’s been achieved.
And what’s still possible.
That’s what creates momentum.
And excitement about the future.
What’s a work situation you could reframe this week?
by Caroline Leach | Feb 16, 2025 | Careers, Leadership
Pings. Dings. Rings.
Our work days are overflowing with distractions.
In a busy environment, how can you increase your executive presence?
By doing the opposite.
By releasing the pull of technology.
By being fully PRESENT with people.
Being present is a topic Tom Larsen and I explored last fall in a talk at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Tom leads the EMBA Career Strategy & Development Team, and I’m an executive coach for students in the program.
Executive presence is about a feedback loop:
1️⃣ PLANNING: how do you want to show up?
2️⃣ EXECUTION: how are you showing up?
3️⃣ REFLECTION: how did you show up?
4️⃣ IMPROVE: what do you want to change?
Being present is part of the planning process. It’s being deliberate and deciding in advance how you want to show up.
Tom shared a story about a senior executive he’s coaching. This leader sets simple rules for how they require their team to show up in board meetings: no phones, no computers, and only the paper they need to engage in the meeting. Instead, this leader encourages the team to observe how other leaders and board members interact with each other.
Try these tips in your next video call or in-person meeting:
- Silence your phone.
- Put your phone away.
- Maintain eye contact.
- Sit or stand up straight.
- Ask clarifying questions.
Make it just you and the person or people you’re meeting with in the moment.
Put everything else aside. Just be there.
If unrelated thoughts pop into your mind, jot them down for later.
How do you also handle the reality that business moves quickly and you want to be responsive to your colleagues?
Check messages before and after meetings. Build in a few minutes between meetings, by scheduling them for 25 minutes instead of 30.
Better yet, do a calendar audit and decline meetings you don’t need to attend.
Do I always follow my own advice?
Not as often as I’d like.
But think about a meeting where you and your colleagues were fully present with each other.
How did the quality of your discussions and decisions differ from meetings where you and others were distracted?
What are your strategies for being fully present with people?
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