Latest news with #RachelWeissman
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Communication Trap That Derails New Executives
Rachel Weissman, executive coach and keynote speaker, helps Fortune 500 and startups master strategic communication and leadership presence. While working at a major tech company, I watched a brilliant VP of engineering implode during a presentation. Not because their ideas weren't sound; they were exceptional. But in trying to share every technical detail, they lost the room entirely. The GM cut them off after seven minutes. "Just tell me what you need from us," he said, visibly frustrated. That moment crystallized something I'd been observing for years: The communication skills that make you a star individual contributor can become your greatest liability in the C-suite. The Paradox Of Executive Communication Here's what nobody tells you about executive leadership: The higher you climb, the less your technical expertise matters and the more your ability to influence through communication determines your success. Yet most leaders receive zero training for this fundamental shift. I discovered this through multiple leadership crucibles: from designing products at Salesforce and Google to founding my own startups. As a CEO, I learned that the detailed, comprehensive communication style that made me an award-winning designer suddenly became my biggest liability. Stakeholders wanted headlines, not dissertations. Investors needed decisions, not deliberations. The wake-up call came in 2017 when I was leading UX for one of Salesforce's first AI products. We were presenting to the executive committee about a critical feature. I'd prepared meticulously: user research, design rationale, implementation timelines. Five minutes in, the head of product stopped me. "Rachel, I don't need the design philosophy. Will this accelerate our adoption? Yes or no?" I froze. Then pivoted: "Yes. This directly addresses why enterprises haven't adopted AI yet: trust. We can own this narrative and become the enterprise standard." The energy shifted. Suddenly, we weren't discussing features; we were discussing market positioning and industry transformation. That's when I realized: Executive communication isn't about showcasing your expertise. It's about connecting your work to strategic imperatives. Three Fatal Communication Mistakes Leaders Make You've spent years becoming the smartest person in the room. Now that expertise can work against you. When you communicate like a subject matter expert rather than a strategic leader, you lose influence. I see this frequently with new VPs who still present like senior managers, overwhelming executives with details instead of focusing on the strategic impact. Nothing undermines executive presence faster than the inability to have difficult conversations. Recently, I coached an executive who spent months compensating for an underperforming peer who kept missing critical deadlines. Instead of addressing it directly, she had her team work nights and weekends to cover the gaps. By the time she finally escalated the issue, her best people were burned out, two had resigned and the CEO questioned why she'd hidden the problem for so long. Your C-suite peers need different communication than your direct reports. Your board needs different framing than your cross-functional partners. Yet most executives use the same style with everyone. The same detailed operational update that impresses an engineering team will completely lose the CMO and CFO in a leadership meeting; they need market impact and ROI, not technical architecture. The Executive Communication Transformation Here are four steps I've seen work. Before diving into any topic, lead with your strategic headline. What's the one thing your audience must understand? I worked with a tech executive whose product launch was behind schedule and over budget. We restructured his entire communication approach. Instead of lengthy explanations about dependencies and blockers, every conversation started with: "Here's what we need to decide today." This simple shift transformed endless status meetings into focused decision sessions. The ability to push back without creating enemies is perhaps the most critical executive skill. After watching too many leaders become either doormats or bulldozers, I developed this approach: • Connect • Reframe • Propose Connect the request to shared goals. Reframe the conversation from tactics to strategy: shift from "how" to "why" and "what we're really solving for." Then propose a specific alternative action that achieves the core objective in a different way. Your ability to communicate effectively under pressure reveals your true leadership capacity. Today's executives face constant crisis: from managing workforce mental health to navigating AI-driven role changes while maintaining morale. Those who thrive can acknowledge hard truths while inspiring forward momentum. Executive presence isn't just about what you say; it's about sensing what's needed. The best leaders constantly calibrate based on audience cues. They recognize when detail is drowning out decisions, when silence signals disagreement and when energy shifts demand a new approach. This skill becomes critical in high-stakes moments. When you sense resistance, the ability to pause, diagnose the real concern and pivot your approach can transform opposition into alignment. That doesn't mean abandoning your message, just finding the right entry point for your audience in that moment. The Path Forward The most successful executives I coach share one common realization: The communication style that built their career can destroy their leadership. They spent decades becoming subject matter experts, only to discover that expertise without executive communication is like having a Ferrari engine with bicycle wheels. Here's your starting point: In your next high-stakes conversation, notice your instinct to prove your expertise. That instinct is your career's biggest threat. Instead, allow yourself to lead with outcomes. Watch how the room shifts when you speak in strategic resonance rather than tactical updates. Your technical expertise earned you a seat at the table. But as an executive, it's your communication that determines whether you'll lead the conversation or become irrelevant to it. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
16 Smart Ways Leaders Can Break Free From Analysis Paralysis
When every option feels risky and no choice feels right, even the best leaders can get stuck. Decision fatigue and the pursuit of a 'perfect' answer can stall momentum, leading to missed opportunities and mounting stress. With the right mindset and strategic approach, it's possible to break the cycle of overthinking and move forward with confidence instead of hesitation. Here, 16 members of Forbes Coaches Council offer their best tips for overcoming analysis paralysis and making effective decisions, even when the stakes are high or the path isn't crystal clear. 1. Stick To A Schedule For Analysis To overcome analysis paralysis, set a deadline to make a final decision and schedule blocks of focused time on your calendar for analysis. It's just as important to set your analysis aside when you are not in the blocked times. Use the focused time to consider all the impacts of each option and consider sharing your final analysis with a trusted colleague before finalizing your decision. - Jamie Griffith, Echelon Search Partners 2. Go Back To Your Core Values Leaders overcome analysis paralysis by anchoring decisions in core values. Clarity on personal and organizational integrity simplifies complex choices, replacing endless analysis with purposeful action. When your choices reflect your deepest principles, the best path presents itself with utmost clarity. - Rachel Weissman, Congruence 3. Chart What You Know And What You Need To Know When making decisions, it's helpful to create a chart of 'knowns' and 'need-to-knows.' This allows you to look at the decision from different angles and take action, rather than remaining paralyzed. - Elizabeth Hamilton, EA Hamilton Consulting 4. Stop Striving For Perfection A quick tip for leaders to overcome analysis paralysis is to release the need to get it perfectly right. There are many ways to overcome a problem; always start with the one that has the least downside and aligns with the company's bigger vision. Action offers feedback that can be corrected; inaction does nothing and leads nowhere. - Hanneke Antonelli, Hanneke Antonelli Coaching, Inc. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify? 5. Make Bold Choices Without Perfect Certainty Analysis paralysis is driven by a need for perfection and certainty. Where uncertainty is the only certainty, clinging to perfection and fearing mistakes damages credibility. Challenge that need by intentionally making bold, informed decisions with less-than-perfect information. This disrupts the cycle, fostering agility, unlocking innovation and accelerating growth in the face of uncertainty. - Neerja Bhatia, Rhythm of Success 6. Decide With The Best Information Available Remember, you're making the best decision based on the best information you have. There will always be a piece of information missing—there is no such thing as perfect and complete information. The most impactful leaders have honed the skill of decision-making despite uncertainty, for they understand that they will learn more from making the decision and seeing what follows than by chasing down more data. - Laura Flessner, Mindtap 7. Focus On Practical, Workable Solutions I would recommend adopting a mindset that tries to identify practical, workable solutions for the decision being made, enabling faster decisions and an iterative process to seek further improvement down the road. Perfection is usually the enemy of the good! It's better to strive for progress while making improvements along the way. - Peter Accettura, Accettura Consulting LLC 8. Treat Decisions Like Testable Hypotheses Leaders can refer to the scientific method in making decisions. Each decision is simply a hypothesis of what they think might work. You can't test an idea while it remains inside your head. Implementation in the real world is the only way to obtain data and feedback. You then begin again, better informed. Messy, imperfect action and fast feedback loops are the best ways to iterate and improve. - Sunny Smith, Empowering Women Physicians 9. Replace Fear With Calculated Risk Our needs and drives, formed early on, determine our lifelong relationship to risk. Much of the analysis paralysis experienced is risk aversion and the fear of failure. Failure is how we learn, innovate and adapt. Start with self-awareness and then allow yourself to take small, calculated risks. A new mindset of innovation and agility will replace your fear of failure as your risks are rewarded. - Edward Doherty, One Degree Coaching, LLC 10. Use 'Decision Minimums' To Move Quicker Implement 'decision minimums': the least information needed for a reversible choice. I coach executives to classify decisions as one-way or two-way doors. One-way requires extensive analysis; two-way can be walked back through. A tech founder tripled innovation by treating 80% of decisions as two-way doors. Analysis paralysis hides perfectionism—smart leaders optimize for learning speed. - Nirmal Chhabria 11. Test Small Steps With Agile Thinking Leaders should use iterative and agile methods. This involves testing ideas quickly, learning from failures and making adjustments based on feedback. By focusing on small steps, leaders can reduce risks and make informed decisions without being overwhelmed by excessive information, ensuring flexibility and adaptability in the decision-making process. - Aurelien Mangano, DevelUpLeaders 12. Shift From Perfection To Progress Make the internal shift from making 'perfect decisions' to defining 'testable hypotheses.' Break down decisions and treat them as experiments to learn from, not final verdicts. This can be particularly challenging for perfectionists. To motivate yourself, set a clear deadline to add structure and urgency, which mobilizes action and reduces overthinking. Progress beats perfection every time. - Mel Cidado, Breakthrough Coaching 13. Take Risks And Learn From Mistakes To beat analysis paralysis, leaders must take bold risks and be okay with messing up sometimes. Ditch the fear of failure and see mistakes as chances to learn—like a CEO who launches a product despite doubts, then tweaks it after flops and nails it. This vibe frees you from perfectionism to make confident calls. - Laurie Sudbrink, Lead With GRIT 14. Prioritize Momentum Over Mastery Set a 'good enough' deadline. Perfection is a moving target—momentum beats mastery when time's ticking. Make a call, test fast and course-correct later. Progress loves speed; paralysis just loves meetings. - Anastasia Paruntseva, Visionary Partners Ltd. 15. Seek Feedback To Gain Clarity Feedback is key to overcoming analysis paralysis. Outside opinions can help us see things from different perspectives and accept that sometimes 'good enough' is better than perfect. - Megan Malone, Truity 16. Frame Decisions As Trade-Offs, Not Puzzles Force a choice between two imperfect options—limit the menu, raise the stakes. This bypasses the illusion that more data equals better clarity. When leaders frame decisions as trade-offs, not puzzles to solve, momentum returns. Every great move leaves something behind; the goal isn't to be perfect but committed. Indecision costs more than a slightly wrong call. - Alla Adam, Adam Impact Institute
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Ways Mono-Businesses Adapt In Economic Downturns
When economic conditions shift, businesses built around a single product or service face a unique pressure. With little diversification to fall back on, even a slight drop in demand can have an outsized impact. However, this sharp focus doesn't have to be a weakness. It can be a strategic advantage for businesses willing to pivot without abandoning their core. Here, 20 members of Forbes Coaches Council share smart, tested strategies mono-product and mono-service businesses can use to stay resilient and relevant during a downturn. A mono-product business risks steep revenue loss during downturns due to reliance on a single offering. The best approach is agility—quickly reassessing customer needs, adapting the core product and testing complementary services or new delivery models. This flexible mindset helps navigate uncertainty without losing focus or diluting the brand. - Yasir Hashmi, The Hashmi Group (Verified) A mono-product business risks overexposure to a single point of failure. In a downturn, if demand drops or budgets shift, there's no buffer. The best approach is to deepen customer insight: Listen closely, adapt the offer to evolving needs and explore adjacent values you can deliver without overextending. Agility comes from intimacy with the problem you solve. - Rachel Weissman, Congruence When you have focused your products and services on a single product or service, scenario planning is helpful to consider what is coming into your ecosystem so you can pivot quickly. While you may have a single product, you may have evolving distribution channels, alliance partners or end customers. You may have several strategic options as the economy shifts. - Maureen Metcalf, Innovative Leadership Institute Partner with other service or product advisors to find new ways to service and delight your customers, as well as expand your reach for new ones. Offering career services? Partner with a software provider that helps clients keep abreast of changes and innovations in their field. Keep a strong focus on what your customer wants and how you can further serve them. - Amy Feind Reeves, HireAHiringManager, Formerly JobCoachAmy The value of products and services is determined by the market and what others see as valuable. When the market shifts, you need to look within your offering and pivot. What are adjacent markets or products? If you are an executive coach, look for other markets to coach, as well as adjacent opportunities. You could coach succession planning candidates to strengthen the queue and ensure continuity. - Kristy Busija, Next Conversation Consulting Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify? One major challenge mono-service businesses face in an economic downturn is vulnerability to buyer hesitation. When your single offer no longer feels like a 'must' in tighter times, revenue dries up fast. Diversifying value without diluting expertise could mean packaging your service at different levels, adding complementary offers or focusing on niches that remain in demand during downturns. - Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International A mono-product or mono-service business risks becoming rigid during an economic downturn—if demand drops, there's little room to pivot. The key is adopting a cheetah mindset: fast, focused and agile. Act quickly to reassess customer needs, test complementary offerings and adapt delivery models. Flexibility—not scale—is what helps you outpace the storm and emerge stronger. - Dr. Adil Dalal, Pinnacle Process Solutions, Intl., LLC Mono-product businesses can struggle in downturns if demand drops. One approach I recommend is using the SCAMPER model, especially "Put to another use" to explore fresh possibilities. For example, a distillery shifted to making hand sanitizer during Covid-19. With a bit of creative thinking, your core offering can navigate uncertainty by unlocking new markets and fresh growth opportunities. - Gabriella Goddard, Brainsparker Ltd Short term: Introduce pivot pricing and loyalty programs. Train the sales function. Adopt a cost-leadership market position. Medium term: Add adjacent products and services. Test market all adaptations. Build more strategic partnerships. Long term: Build out the product portfolio using Ansoff's Matrix. Expand recurring revenue. Develop a more crisis-resistant commercial architecture. - Antonio Garrido, My Daily Leadership This is something I have experienced firsthand and suggest entrepreneurs find ways to create adjacent revenue streams, or even value-added versions of their current offering, to diversify and provide additional revenue. Consider, for example, an online course that might capture 80% of the content for a live event you already offer. - Aaron Marcum, Breakaway365 Your ability to position your offering as essential can make all the difference when times get tough. During economic downturns, people prioritize necessities. So, a key question every business must answer is: How is my product a necessity, and how am I communicating that to my customers? Actively seek opportunities to diversify—whether through product packaging, customer base or distribution channels. - Sandra Balogun, The CPA Leader A mono-product business risks collapse if demand fades in a downturn. The key is adaptability—listen to your customers, understand emerging needs and evolve your offer without losing your essence. Don't react—reimagine. Resilience comes from staying rooted in purpose while expanding your value. During a crisis, relevance is earned by those bold enough to transform. - Alejandro Bravo, Revelatio360 In an economic downturn, a mono-product business risks brand irrelevance; when budgets tighten, consumers prioritize versatility and value. Building resilience through relevance is a smart move that can allow a brand to survive. One way is to reframe the product's role. Can it solve a broader problem? Serve a new audience? Reinvention often beats reinvestment. - Arthi Rabikrisson, Prerna Advisory A mono-product or mono-service must be deeply dialed into their core consumer's preferences. They must continuously study the cultural, social and economic factors that are influencing their needs and buying behavior. Being able to quickly edit and flex their expectations accordingly will make all the difference. - Brittney Van Matre, Rewild Work Strategies A mono-product business in a downturn is like a tightrope walker with no safety net; one gust of market change and you are tumbling. The core challenge is overexposure to a single source of revenue without a buffer or agility. The best response is not frantic diversification but creative recombination: by finding adjacent problems your product can solve in new contexts in novel ways. - Thomas Lim, Centre for Systems Leadership (SIM Academy) A mono product business risks becoming irrelevant if demand drops. The brain's novelty bias craves fresh solutions in uncertain times. Evolve fast by repositioning your product for new problems or bundling it with added value. Adaptation keeps you top of mind when budgets tighten. - Adam Levine, InnerXLab A business that relies exclusively on a single offering can face several challenges. However, there are many ways to monetize a specific offering. My wife and I own an equestrian business—boarding and training. With 100 acres, we brainstormed over 30 ways to monetize the property, from birthday parties to day-use passes to a movie shoot location. - John Knotts, Crosscutter Enterprises A mono-service business may find that many people who are price-sensitive stop purchasing during an economic downturn. During this time, they can assess who their ideal clients are, including those with the highest lifetime value. They can assess what these clients have in common, how to better serve them and how to provide even more value to those types of clients. - Sunny Smith, Empowering Women Physicians A mono-product business risks significant revenue loss when consumer priorities shift during downturns. Diversifying delivery or pricing models—such as flexible payment plans, subscription options or complementary add-on services—can mitigate risks by appealing to varied customer needs without diluting core offerings. - Peter Boolkah, The Transition Guy When all your revenue hangs on one offer, the real risk isn't the downturn—it's inertia. I tell founders to stress-test the product line before the market does: Spin up a stripped-down variant, explore an unlikely use case or sell it to a completely different audience. The goal isn't diversification for its own sake—it's proving you can adapt without losing your edge. - Alla Adam, Adam Impact Institute
