What’s your leadership signal? Three ways to cut through the noise

By Colin T. McLetchie, PCC RPP

I spent far more years than I care to admit working in corporate HR, with a deep focus on employee relations. All the really hard, sticky, difficult issues landed in my office. It was deeply rewarding and often incredibly challenging.

From that experience, I came to recognize that so much of what goes awry in organizations can be traced back to missing conversations—or conversations that were poorly handled.

Which led me to realize a powerful truth:

Leadership is conversational.

Conversation is the primary tool of leadership.

And yet, when asked, most leaders will share that they have never been to “conversation school”—they’ve never really studied the art and skill of conversation.

As a result, I and many of my colleagues spend a great deal of time helping leaders strengthen their conversational capabilities.

As Susan Scott writes in her book, Fierce Conversations:

“While no single conversation is guaranteed to transform a company, a relationship, or a life, any single conversation can.”

Or perhaps, a series of conversations.

Imagine if you became just 10% better at using the number one tool of your leadership. What might become possible?

Below are three ways to begin.

First, it’s important to recognize the power of creating shared meaning. When things go awry in projects, client relationships, team cohesion, and organizational alignment, it can often be traced back to a lack of shared meaning.

If you are a leader, that’s your job:

To create and ensure shared meaning.

And, oh boy, is that hard.

Because meaning rests in people—not in words (thank you, David Berlo).

Tip #1: Say the thing.

“More signal. Less noise.”

This is one of the phrases I find myself saying most often to clients.

Showing my age here—remember when you had to manually tune a radio dial? There would be static and noise between stations, and as you got closer to the right channel, things would gradually become clearer. Then suddenly, you’d hit the sweet spot: all signal, no noise.

This is the conscious work of powerful leaders.

Is my message clear?

Is it concise?

Did people actually understand it?

Too often, leaders soften messages to avoid discomfort. They overexplain. They circle the issue. They hide important truths inside unnecessary detail. In doing so, the message gets diluted.

Clarity is kindness.

People do not benefit from ambiguity. Teams do not thrive when expectations are implied rather than expressed. Courageous leadership often means saying the thing directly, respectfully, and clearly.

This is why you need more signal and less noise.

Reflection Questions

• Do I dilute my key leadership messages with too many words?

• Do I beat around the bush when delivering constructive observations or having courageous conversations?

• Does my use of language and storytelling create clarity—or detract from it?

• Who in my trusted circle could I ask to tell me the truth about this?

Tip #2: Speak your intention.

When I teach courageous conversations, the first thing I invite people to do is set an intention for the conversation.

What conversation do you want to have?

What do you want people to walk away feeling, believing, or having experienced?

How do you want to show up?

How do you hope they will show up?

One of the biggest missed opportunities is keeping that intention a secret and simply diving into the conversation.

Speak your intention at the beginning.

Here’s what that might sound like:

“Jonah, you and I have been struggling lately to align on the direction your department should take. It’s an important conversation, and I want us to continue it. My intention is to listen more deeply, understand your perspective, and work in a truly open and collaborative way so we can find a path forward together. Can I count on you to join me in that?”

This move does two things.

First, it reminds you of your commitment to the other person.

Second, it aligns intentions with the other person.

Creating shared meaning.

It also lowers defensiveness. When people understand your intent, they are less likely to create their own assumptions about your motives. Intentional conversations create emotional safety, and emotional safety creates the conditions for honesty, collaboration, and better problem solving.

Tip #3: Overtly invite people into the conversation.

You’ll notice that at the end of the example above, I make a move that is critical to partnership: getting to “yes.”

Another version of this is what I call the “permission move.”

When you want to share thoughts or observations with someone—or redirect attention or energy in a tense meeting—the permission move can be highly effective.

Here are a few examples:

• “May I share what I’m noticing as we’re having this conversation?”

• “May I get curious about something?”

• “May I share what I notice about how you’re thinking about this?”

It’s not that you need permission to speak. You don’t.

What this move does is shift someone’s attention so they become more present and ready to receive what you have to say. It ensures the conversation is happening with people, not at them.

It gets ears and nervous systems more ready to hear what’s coming.

It helps clear the noise so the signal can be heard more directly.

It contributes to creating shared meaning.

And that’s the work of leadership.

Not just setting direction.

Not just managing performance.

Not just driving outcomes.

But creating the conditions where people can think clearly, communicate honestly, and move forward together.

At SZH Consulting, we believe transformational leadership begins with transformational conversations. Whether supporting organizations through change, leadership alignment, organizational effectiveness, or culture transformation, we help leaders strengthen the conversations that shape trust, clarity, accountability, and long term success.

Because sustainable organizational change is never just about process. It is about people, and the quality of the conversations guiding them forward.

Reach out now to explore how SZH Consulting can support your leaders and teams in building stronger alignment, healthier communication, and more meaningful impact.