Leadership Communication
People judge how much a leader knows by what they say, and how much a leader cares by how they listen. These are the Monday Morning Minutes about saying the thing clearly, hearing what was not said, and the gap between what you intended and what actually landed.
27 articles
2026
A lunch invitation Bryan Yager assumed was trouble. What the executive actually said redirected his entire career.
6 min readUnspoken expectations cost trust. Bryan Yager on why making them explicit is a leadership responsibility, not a courtesy.
5 min read2023
2021
Aikido redirects force instead of meeting it. Bryan Yager on a 1980s demonstration he has never forgotten.
3 min readTwenty years of executive coaching, one lesson: your weaknesses are rarely the problem. Bryan Yager on strengths overused.
5 min readA senior manager said "I'm never wrong" and meant it. Bryan Yager on what needing to be right costs a leader.
4 min readNobody can see your intentions, only your behavior. Bryan Yager on saying what you meant before you are misread.
4 min readWe forget how complicated communication is exactly when it matters most. Bryan Yager on why that costs so much.
7 min read2020
Loss makes Bryan Yager think about life rather than death. On the smallest thing a person leaves behind.
5 min readThe question is the most underused tool a leader has. Bryan Yager on why so few of ours are any good.
4 min readWe are communicating at each other instead of with each other. Bryan Yager on conversations that draw people in, not push away.
5 min read2019
We judge ourselves by our intentions and everyone else by their behavior. Bryan Yager on the double standard we all run.
4 min read"Speak Like a Leader" sells out. Listening courses do not. Bryan Yager on why we assume we already know how.
5 min read2018
Over 80% cannot recall their last real compliment at work. Bryan Yager on why "great job" does not count.
3 min readWe all see through scratched lenses. Bryan Yager asks whether your brain's reading of what it sees deserves your trust.
4 min readA scratched lens never gives a clean image again. Bryan Yager on the personal lens experience grinds for each of us.
4 min readEveryone you lead is tuned to one station: how you make them feel about themselves. Bryan Yager on a flight that made the point.
4 min readOne good question can change a career. Bryan Yager on why leaders reach for answers and skip the questions.
4 min readEveryone was rehearsing, nobody was listening. Bryan Yager on why taking turns is not the same as a conversation.
3 min readLeaders are judged more on how they listen than how they speak. Bryan Yager on hearing what nobody actually said.
2 min readEveryone runs an emotional bank account. Bryan Yager on noticing who around you is overdrawn, and making a deposit.
3 min readThey judge what you know by your words and whether you care by your listening. Bryan Yager on the difference.
1 min readAn assignment: name four people who matter and three specific things you appreciate. Bryan Yager on intent versus impact.
3 min readBryan has spent more than 45 years developing leaders, in Boise and across the country. If this is the thinking you want in the room, he works with organizations on Everything DiSC® Assessments & Facilitation, and the same thinking runs through his book, How to Transition Into Leadership.