𝗜 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗠𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲… 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴.

I’ve been experimenting with AI to compare my communication style with my leader’s. At every level, self-reflection matters — the honest, vulnerable kind.

So I fed the agent emails, readouts, and meeting notes.

And the verdict?

My communication is dense.

Not complicated, but layered. Context-heavy. Thorough. Thoughtful.

I like to give all the why, all the contingencies, all the possibilities… before I get to the point.

My leader? Pure BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front). Three sentences, done.

And suddenly I felt this wave of empathy. In every readout, I’ve been burying the headline under paragraphs of setup. Not wrong — just different.

I’m working on it. That’s growth.

⸻

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘀 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

The question hit me hard:

Why do I communicate the way I do?

I grew up reading between the lines.

My mother’s mental health challenges meant learning to anticipate emotional shifts early — mapping out three versions of how a conversation might go, spotting risks before they landed. Context wasn’t optional. It was survival.

That survival skill became a professional superpower.

I see around corners.

I anticipate the next question before it’s asked.

I stay three moves ahead because that’s how I learned to navigate the world.

My dense communication isn’t just a habit — it’s a strength rooted in lived experience.

⸻

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

If my style is shaped by experience, so is everyone else’s.

The three-sentence communicator?

Maybe they learned efficiency in a place where speed mattered more than nuance.

The over-explainer?

Maybe assumptions once cost them dearly.

The person who avoids conflict?

Maybe speaking up used to have consequences.

As leaders, it’s easy to coach the surface:

“Be more concise.”

“Be more direct.”

“Be more structured.”

But underneath every pattern is a story. A learned behavior.

Often… a strength in disguise.

So instead of asking “How do I fix this style?”

What if we asked:

“What shaped this?”

“What strength is hiding here?”

“How can I leverage it instead of muting it?”

I’m learning to lead with the headline — absolutely.

But I’m also not apologizing for seeing the whole chessboard.

Both can be true.

⸻

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂

Look at your team.

Who’s the over-communicator?

The long email writer?

The one who schedules 30 minutes when 15 would do?

Before you coach them to tighten up, pause and ask:

What lived experience shaped this?

What strength does it reveal?

And how can I grow it instead of sanding it down?

#Leadership #CommunicationSkills #SelfAwareness #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #WorkplaceCulture