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THE ADVISORY / LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION
A message is not complete because the leader said it.
If everyone leaves the room with a different understanding of what was decided, communication did not happen. Use this guide before, during, and after a consequential message. The checklists are for review; any notes belong in your own document or notes app.
The worked example
A company is changing the client-approval process. Project leads will now approve routine scope decisions within agreed limits instead of waiting for the founder. The change begins next Monday.
The weak message is: “We need everyone to take more ownership. Project leads can make more decisions now. Let’s keep things moving.” It sounds encouraging but leaves authority, boundaries, timing, and follow-up unclear.
01 / ADVISORY WORK
Before you communicate
Prepare the purpose, decision, audience, sequence, action, boundaries, and likely questions.
Before-message review
Is the purpose clear?
Are the decision owner and communication owner named?
Are what changes and what does not separated?
Can the reason be explained without unnecessary detail?
Have affected people and likely questions been identified?
Is the expected action specific?
Is what remains undecided acknowledged?
Are claims and commitments supportable?
Are audience, channel, sequence, and timing intentional?
Is follow-up scheduled?
02 / ADVISORY WORK
State what people need to understand
People need context, consequence, and a usable explanation of what happens next.
What is happening and why does it matter?
Explain the condition that required a decision without turning the message into a history of every conversation.
For example: Routine client decisions are waiting several days for founder approval, which is slowing delivery and creating avoidable client uncertainty.
Write this in your notes: In your notes, write the condition, consequence, and one sentence of relevant context.
03 / ADVISORY WORK
Name the decision
Do not present a settled decision as an invitation to debate—or an open question as if it were settled.
The clearer decision statement
Beginning Monday, project leads may approve routine scope decisions within the documented client and budget limits. The founder will continue approving contract changes, pricing exceptions, and decisions outside those limits.
04 / ADVISORY WORK
Acknowledge what remains undecided
Honest uncertainty is easier to work with than hidden uncertainty.
What is still open?
Name the open question, who owns it, and when an answer will be available.
For example: The company has not decided whether the same authority will extend to vendor changes. Operations will recommend an approach by the end of the month.
Write this in your notes: Record only open items that materially affect the audience and give each one an owner and date.
MICHELLE'S NOTE
People can work with uncertainty when it is named honestly. They struggle when uncertainty is presented as a decision—or when a decision is presented as a discussion.
05 / ADVISORY WORK
Separate what changes from what does not
This prevents people from expanding the message into consequences that were never intended.
In the example
What changes: Project leads approve routine scope decisions within documented limits beginning Monday.
What does not change: Contract terms, pricing exceptions, and out-of-bound decisions still require founder approval.
Why this matters: The team can move routine client work without waiting while preserving oversight for consequential commitments.
06 / ADVISORY WORK
Make ownership explicit
More ownership is not an instruction until authority, boundaries, support, and evidence are clear.
Decision and ownership
Project leads: make and document routine decisions within the limits.
Operations: publish the limits, answer process questions, and review exceptions.
Founder: decide contract, pricing, and out-of-bound exceptions.
Deadline: the new process begins Monday; the written guide is due Friday.
07 / ADVISORY WORK
Expect the real questions
Questions reveal where the message, decision, or implementation is still incomplete.
Questions the company should expect
What counts as a routine scope decision?
What happens when a decision affects the budget?
Where should the decision be documented?
What if the client disagrees?
Will project leads be evaluated differently?
Who decides when the boundary is unclear?
The leader should answer what is known, name what is not, and assign ownership for anything unresolved.
08 / ADVISORY WORK
Document what matters
The written record should make the decision usable after the meeting ends.
What must be documented?
Record the decision, reason, change, boundary, owners, deadlines, open items, and where questions go.
For example: Operations posts a one-page approval guide, records routine decisions in the project system, and routes exceptions through a named channel.
Write this in your notes: Write the location of the record and the person responsible for keeping it current.
09 / ADVISORY WORK
Follow through after the conversation
Communication continues while people apply the decision.
After-message review
Send the written summary by the promised time.
Collect questions in one visible place.
Correct misunderstandings quickly.
Resolve open items with an owner and deadline.
Review whether the new process is being used.
Close the loop by reporting what changed after feedback.
10 / ADVISORY WORK
Confirm shared understanding
Do not ask only whether people have questions. Ask them to explain what happens next.
Understanding test for the example
A project lead should be able to explain: what they can now approve; which decisions still require the founder; where decisions are documented; when the change begins; where questions go; and when the process will be reviewed.
If those explanations differ, the company has found communication work that still needs to happen.
A USEFUL CAUTION
Silence does not mean understanding.
People may be processing, protecting themselves, waiting for authority, or unsure whether questions are welcome. Build a specific way to test understanding after the room gets quiet.
MICHELLE'S NOTE
The most important sentence in a leadership message is often the one that names who owns the next move and when everyone will hear what happened.
Final communication check
Can people state the decision in one sentence?
Do they understand why it matters now?
Can they separate what changes from what does not?
Do owners know their authority, action, and deadline?
Are open questions labeled with an owner and date?
Is the written record available?
Is follow-up scheduled?
Has shared understanding been tested rather than assumed?
Return when the next issue needs a clearer frame.
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This resource is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not individualized legal, tax, accounting, employment, investment, financial, or other professional advice. Business decisions involve risk and depend on individual circumstances, implementation, timing, market conditions, and other factors. No specific result is guaranteed. Consult appropriately qualified professionals regarding your circumstances.