Stop Sounding Like a Corporate Robot: The Leader's Guide to Actually Connecting With Your People

Why do capable, intelligent leaders turn into corporate-speak machines the second they need to communicate something important? 

I've spent months digging into this. The truth is, when leaders start announcing instead of talking, their people tune out. They stop trusting. They assume you're hiding something, even when you're not.

That’s why I wrote The Leader’s Practical Playbook for Authentic Comms. It’s a straightforward, research-informed guide to sounding like yourself when it matters most (like when things go wrong).

Inside, you'll find real frameworks, sample scripts, and a handy gut-check tool (yes, there's a bingo game) to help you say the hard stuff clearly, directly, and with a little more credibility.

What you're actually getting

This playbook offers five core principles that actually work, plus the scripts and frameworks you need to handle the conversations that keep you up at night:

• How to say what you mean when it counts (spoiler: the bad news comes first, not buried in three paragraphs of context).
• The difference between accountability and therapy (your people need clarity, not your feelings about the decision).
• Why being the same person in every room is your superpower (and how leaders like Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard pull this off).
• Ready-to-use scripts for the conversations that matter (because you don't need to reinvent the wheel every time something goes wrong).
• How to use humor without losing authority (hint: never ask ChatGPT for a joke about big data).

It's packed with actual examples from leaders like Reed Hastings (who bet Netflix's entire company on streaming), Tobias Lütke (who owned Shopify's massive hiring mistake), and Satya Nadella (who reset Microsoft's entire culture one conversation at a time).

Ready to stop sounding like everyone else?

Look, I could keep talking about why authentic communication matters, but you already know it does. You've sat through enough wooden presentations and corporate doublespeak to last a lifetime. 

What you need are the tools to actually do something about it – and to make your message stick.

Authentic leadership communication isn't about finding your inner boss voice, it's about using the voice you already have. When you start being real, your team starts trusting what you say. Decisions happen faster because people aren't trying to decode what you "really mean." Problems surface early instead of festering in the group chat.

Plus, you get your energy back. Performing is exhausting. Being yourself is just easier.

Your people are rooting for you to figure this out. They want to follow someone who sounds like an actual human being, so start connecting with your team instead of just talking at them.

Who this is for (and who it's not)

If you're a director, VP, or C-level exec who wants to stop hiding behind corporate speak and start connecting with your people, this is for you.

It's for leaders who've realized that the slickest presentation in the world won't help if your message lacks direction or heart. For people who already figured out that communication isn't extra work, it's core to the job.

It's not for leaders who think authenticity means emotional dumping or oversharing, or for people who want to sound more polished or more executive-y. 

And it's definitely not for leaders who think their job is to protect their team from reality instead of helping them navigate it.

Download your free guide

Authentic leadership communication isn't a personality trait you're born with. It's a series of choices you make every time you speak.

Download The Leader's Practical Playbook for Authentic Comms and get the real tools that work when the stakes matter.