It’s Not What You Said. It’s How They Heard It.

You nailed the phrasing.

You were calm. Clear. Concise.

So why did your team leave the meeting silent, confused—or worse, anxious?

Because leadership isn’t about what you say. It’s about what people feel when you say it.

Your tone is a silent strategy.

A signal.

And every time you speak, your team is subconsciously asking:

So here’s what most founders miss:

You don’t communicate in words.

You communicate in energy.

In cadence, micro-pauses, eyebrow tension, and the difference between:

• “We’ll talk next week.”
  vs.

• “We’ll talk next week :)”

One is a check-in.

The other is a warning shot.

The irony?

Most CEOs are obsessing over quarterly goals while accidentally making their team feel like they’re about to get fired.

So here's your experiment this week:

👂 Step 1: Record yourself in your next team message, Loom, or Slack thread.

🔍 Step 2: Review not the words, but the tone.

• Did it feel curious or conclusive?

• Did you leave room for dialogue or just compliance?

• Were you calm—or compressed?

Leadership isn’t just decision-making.

It’s emotional broadcasting.

If you’re anxious, they get tight. If you’re grounded, they breathe easier.

So before you rewrite your strategy doc for the tenth time, ask:

“How are they going to feel when they hear this from me?”

Because what you meant doesn’t matter.

What they heard does.

—Peter