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Harvard Business Review
a day ago
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
Our Favorite Management Tips on Communicating Like a Leader
Each weekday, in our Management Tip of the Day newsletter, HBR offers tips to help you better manage your team—and yourself. Here is a curated selection of our favorite Management Tips on communicating like a leader. Practice Gracious Communication Most of us want to communicate with kindness, but it can be challenging to convey warmth and compassion under frustrating, stressful, or maddening circumstances. Three practices can help you in your day-to-day interactions, as well as big, difficult conversations. First, meet confrontation with grace. This means wearing a smile and exuding patience and courtesy when an employee brings you difficult news or challenges your decision-making. An open-minded tone will signal that you're there to listen, process, and problem-solve—not to reprimand or enforce your own authority. Next, give credit whenever you can. Recognizing your employees and showing them gratitude will engender their enthusiasm, hard work, trust, and loyalty. Finally, give people space and clarity so you don't catch them off guard. Schedule conversations in advance or ask them if it's a good time to talk—and give them a quick preview of what you'd like to talk about. These kind, simple gestures will give your counterpart an opportunity to prepare, and make it clear that you're interested in listening to their response. This tip is adapted from ' The Simple Power of Communicating with Kindness,' by Sally Susman. . . . Communicating with Your Team When Times Are Tough When business challenges mount, your team doesn't need spin—they need clarity. Here's how to be transparent, steady, and constructive, even when you don't have all the answers. Acknowledge what's working. As you address uncertainty, point to areas of progress. Use a 'yes, and' approach: Yes, things are messy—and we're doing good work. Be honest about challenges without slipping into blame or false optimism. Make space for real questions. Don't redirect or minimize concerns. Ask your team what's weighing on them and how it's showing up in their day-to-day work lives. If no one speaks up, check in with trusted team members behind the scenes to get a fuller picture. Respond with care. When you don't have answers, explain what could influence the outcome. Share details only if they affect the team's reality; disclosing what's irrelevant or uncertain creates confusion. Stick to the facts. Avoid speculation. Use data and observable progress to ground your message. Reinforce how the team's work supports key business goals like revenue or efficiency. Model resilience. Show up with calm and clarity. In tough moments, consistency builds trust—and helps your team focus on what they can control. This tip is adapted from ' How to Communicate with Your Team When Business Is Bad,' by Rebecca Knight. . . . Deliver a Message That Sticks Whether you're giving a presentation, writing an email, or leading a meeting, it's important to communicate your message in a way that's memorable. By mastering a few strategies based in memory science, you can create messages that linger in the minds of your audience, leaving a lasting impact. Here's how. Chunk it up. Your audience can only handle three to four pieces of information at once. Organizing your key points under one central idea will help them retain details and connect the dots. Make it concrete. Abstract ideas are tough to remember. Use vivid, relatable examples that evoke sensory details to create a mental image your audience won't forget. Provide callbacks. Revisit earlier points to strengthen your audience's recall. Subtle reminders of previous content help reinforce memory and tie new information to existing knowledge. Spark curiosity. Don't just deliver answers—pose intriguing questions that highlight knowledge gaps. Curiosity fuels memory, making your message stick. This tip is adapted from ' How to Craft a Memorable Message, According to Science,' by Charan Ranganath. . . . Communicate Directly—Not Rudely Direct communication is an important work skill—especially for a manager. Being clear about what you want and need from people (and why) makes everything more efficient. But if you're too harsh, you can end up doing more harm than good. Here's how to toe the line between being direct and veering into rudeness. When delivering feedback, focus on facts. Remove your emotions from the conversation, and instead give the person honest, concrete evidence about their performance. Your goal is to help them grow, not to vent. When expressing an opinion, use 'I' statements. Avoid making accusations or casting blame, which will put your employee on the defensive. Instead of calling them out and pointing fingers, call them in by expressing your experience of their behavior. Turn a hard 'no' into a soft 'no.' As a direct person, your instinct may be to unambiguously reject an inessential work request that comes in when you just don't have the bandwidth to take it on. But if you're too blunt, you risk being perceived as someone who doesn't want to collaborate or help out. Instead, find the compassion to offer an alternative that works better for you and your schedule, or kindly explain why it's impossible for you to take on. When making a request, be considerate, not commanding. There's nothing wrong with giving clear, direct instructions and assignments. Just remember to be reasonable, express gratitude, and offer support if your employee needs it. This tip is adapted from ' How to Be Direct Without Being Rude,' by Yasmina Khelifi and Irina Cozma. . . . Communicating Difficult Decisions When You Can't Be Fully Transparent When you have to communicate a difficult organizational decision, it's hard to know how much information to provide, particularly when you can't be fully transparent yet. Saying nothing can undermine people's trust, and saying too much can leave people feeling overwhelmed. You can strike the balance by being candid—up to a point. Frame the situation's context clearly so people understand why the organization is considering big changes. Explain that you'll be as transparent as possible, use plain language (not corporate-speak), and respond to questions. People appreciate honesty, even if the message is incomplete or not what they want to hear. Be precise about what you can say now and when you'll say more, providing an overall timeline for the process. But avoid giving people running commentary as developments unfold; it can lead to unhelpful distractions and take up considerable management time. If possible, let employees in on the options you're considering, showing the logic behind your coming actions. This builds trust and helps mitigate the anxiety they may be feeling as they consider every combination of eventualities (including catastrophic ones). It also prevents them from feeling caught by surprise when you announce the final set of changes. This tip is adapted from ' Talking About a Difficult Decision—When You Can't Share All the Details,' by David Lancefield. . . . Sharpen Your Writing Skills Regardless of your job, rank, or industry, written communication is a skill that can set you apart from your peers. Here's a three-step framework to help you level up as a writer—whether you're writing an email, a formal document, a social post, or something else. First, determine the purpose of what you're writing. What result do you want to achieve? Are you looking to inform, persuade, or make a request? Let that purpose inform the substance and style of your communication from beginning to end. Then, identify exactly who your audience is and speak directly to them. This means using language that they understand and a voice that resonates with them. It also means anticipating and answering their questions—before they need to ask. Finally, what's your point? This is the essential substance of your writing. To locate the message you're aiming to deliver, ask yourself how you would explain it to your audience in 15 seconds or less. Then, get to the point early in your document, within the first 40 to 50 words. This tip is adapted from ' How to Take Your Business Writing From 'Average' to 'Great,'' by Elizabeth Danziger. . . . Great Leadership Is About Great Communication To be an effective leader, you need to become an exceptional communicator. Here are four strategies to help you motivate and inspire your team with your words. Use simple language to write about complex things. Long, complicated sentences make written ideas hard to understand because they demand more concentration. You'll win more supporters if you replace long words and sentences with shorter, more straightforward ones. Choose sticky metaphors. When you introduce a new or abstract idea, your audience will search for something they recognize to help them make sense of it. A metaphor is a powerful tool that compares or equates a new, abstract idea to a familiar image or concept. Humanize data. Slide decks with statistics and charts are helpful, but limited. The trick to making any data point interesting is to humanize it by placing the number in perspective. Any time you introduce numbers, take the extra step to make them engaging, memorable, and, ultimately, persuasive. Emphasize your mission. Shine a spotlight on your company's purpose across communication channels: meetings, memos, emails, presentations, social media, and marketing material. If your mission stands for something, then stand up for it.
Harvard Business Review
6 days ago
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
Our Favorite Managements Tips on Communicating Like a Leader
Each weekday, in our Management Tip of the Day newsletter, HBR offers tips to help you better manage your team—and yourself. Here is a curated selection of our favorite Management Tips on communicating like a leader. Practice Gracious Communication Most of us want to communicate with kindness, but it can be challenging to convey warmth and compassion under frustrating, stressful, or maddening circumstances. Three practices can help you in your day-to-day interactions, as well as big, difficult conversations. First, meet confrontation with grace. This means wearing a smile and exuding patience and courtesy when an employee brings you difficult news or challenges your decision-making. An open-minded tone will signal that you're there to listen, process, and problem-solve—not to reprimand or enforce your own authority. Next, give credit whenever you can. Recognizing your employees and showing them gratitude will engender their enthusiasm, hard work, trust, and loyalty. Finally, give people space and clarity so you don't catch them off guard. Schedule conversations in advance or ask them if it's a good time to talk—and give them a quick preview of what you'd like to talk about. These kind, simple gestures will give your counterpart an opportunity to prepare, and make it clear that you're interested in listening to their response. This tip is adapted from ' The Simple Power of Communicating with Kindness,' by Sally Susman. . . . Communicating with Your Team When Times Are Tough When business challenges mount, your team doesn't need spin—they need clarity. Here's how to be transparent, steady, and constructive, even when you don't have all the answers. Acknowledge what's working. As you address uncertainty, point to areas of progress. Use a 'yes, and' approach: Yes, things are messy—and we're doing good work. Be honest about challenges without slipping into blame or false optimism. Make space for real questions. Don't redirect or minimize concerns. Ask your team what's weighing on them and how it's showing up in their day-to-day work lives. If no one speaks up, check in with trusted team members behind the scenes to get a fuller picture. Respond with care. When you don't have answers, explain what could influence the outcome. Share details only if they affect the team's reality; disclosing what's irrelevant or uncertain creates confusion. Stick to the facts. Avoid speculation. Use data and observable progress to ground your message. Reinforce how the team's work supports key business goals like revenue or efficiency. Model resilience. Show up with calm and clarity. In tough moments, consistency builds trust—and helps your team focus on what they can control. This tip is adapted from ' How to Communicate with Your Team When Business Is Bad,' by Rebecca Knight. . . . Deliver a Message That Sticks Whether you're giving a presentation, writing an email, or leading a meeting, it's important to communicate your message in a way that's memorable. By mastering a few strategies based in memory science, you can create messages that linger in the minds of your audience, leaving a lasting impact. Here's how. Chunk it up. Your audience can only handle three to four pieces of information at once. Organizing your key points under one central idea will help them retain details and connect the dots. Make it concrete. Abstract ideas are tough to remember. Use vivid, relatable examples that evoke sensory details to create a mental image your audience won't forget. Provide callbacks. Revisit earlier points to strengthen your audience's recall. Subtle reminders of previous content help reinforce memory and tie new information to existing knowledge. Spark curiosity. Don't just deliver answers—pose intriguing questions that highlight knowledge gaps. Curiosity fuels memory, making your message stick. This tip is adapted from ' How to Craft a Memorable Message, According to Science,' by Charan Ranganath. . . . Communicate Directly—Not Rudely Direct communication is an important work skill—especially for a manager. Being clear about what you want and need from people (and why) makes everything more efficient. But if you're too harsh, you can end up doing more harm than good. Here's how to toe the line between being direct and veering into rudeness. When delivering feedback, focus on facts. Remove your emotions from the conversation, and instead give the person honest, concrete evidence about their performance. Your goal is to help them grow, not to vent. When expressing an opinion, use 'I' statements. Avoid making accusations or casting blame, which will put your employee on the defensive. Instead of calling them out and pointing fingers, call them in by expressing your experience of their behavior. Turn a hard 'no' into a soft 'no.' As a direct person, your instinct may be to unambiguously reject an inessential work request that comes in when you just don't have the bandwidth to take it on. But if you're too blunt, you risk being perceived as someone who doesn't want to collaborate or help out. Instead, find the compassion to offer an alternative that works better for you and your schedule, or kindly explain why it's impossible for you to take on. When making a request, be considerate, not commanding. There's nothing wrong with giving clear, direct instructions and assignments. Just remember to be reasonable, express gratitude, and offer support if your employee needs it. This tip is adapted from ' How to Be Direct Without Being Rude,' by Yasmina Khelifi and Irina Cozma. . . . Communicating Difficult Decisions When You Can't Be Fully Transparent When you have to communicate a difficult organizational decision, it's hard to know how much information to provide, particularly when you can't be fully transparent yet. Saying nothing can undermine people's trust, and saying too much can leave people feeling overwhelmed. You can strike the balance by being candid—up to a point. Frame the situation's context clearly so people understand why the organization is considering big changes. Explain that you'll be as transparent as possible, use plain language (not corporate-speak), and respond to questions. People appreciate honesty, even if the message is incomplete or not what they want to hear. Be precise about what you can say now and when you'll say more, providing an overall timeline for the process. But avoid giving people running commentary as developments unfold; it can lead to unhelpful distractions and take up considerable management time. If possible, let employees in on the options you're considering, showing the logic behind your coming actions. This builds trust and helps mitigate the anxiety they may be feeling as they consider every combination of eventualities (including catastrophic ones). It also prevents them from feeling caught by surprise when you announce the final set of changes. This tip is adapted from ' Talking About a Difficult Decision—When You Can't Share All the Details,' by David Lancefield. . . . Sharpen Your Writing Skills Regardless of your job, rank, or industry, written communication is a skill that can set you apart from your peers. Here's a three-step framework to help you level up as a writer—whether you're writing an email, a formal document, a social post, or something else. First, determine the purpose of what you're writing. What result do you want to achieve? Are you looking to inform, persuade, or make a request? Let that purpose inform the substance and style of your communication from beginning to end. Then, identify exactly who your audience is and speak directly to them. This means using language that they understand and a voice that resonates with them. It also means anticipating and answering their questions—before they need to ask. Finally, what's your point? This is the essential substance of your writing. To locate the message you're aiming to deliver, ask yourself how you would explain it to your audience in 15 seconds or less. Then, get to the point early in your document, within the first 40 to 50 words. This tip is adapted from ' How to Take Your Business Writing From 'Average' to 'Great,'' by Elizabeth Danziger. . . . Great Leadership Is About Great Communication To be an effective leader, you need to become an exceptional communicator. Here are four strategies to help you motivate and inspire your team with your words. Use simple language to write about complex things. Long, complicated sentences make written ideas hard to understand because they demand more concentration. You'll win more supporters if you replace long words and sentences with shorter, more straightforward ones. Choose sticky metaphors. When you introduce a new or abstract idea, your audience will search for something they recognize to help them make sense of it. A metaphor is a powerful tool that compares or equates a new, abstract idea to a familiar image or concept. Humanize data. Slide decks with statistics and charts are helpful, but limited. The trick to making any data point interesting is to humanize it by placing the number in perspective. Any time you introduce numbers, take the extra step to make them engaging, memorable, and, ultimately, persuasive. Emphasize your mission. Shine a spotlight on your company's purpose across communication channels: meetings, memos, emails, presentations, social media, and marketing material. If your mission stands for something, then stand up for it.
Business Insider
19-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Sally Susman helped steer Pfizer through COVID-19. Her advice for leaders? Learn to write — and listen.
Pfizer' Communications and Policy Chief Sally Susman has made a name for herself doing just that, such as by helping the pharmaceutical giant launch its COVID-19 vaccine at the height of the pandemic. Susman, who recently announced plans to leave Pfizer later this year after an 18-year-run, previously held similar roles at Estée Lauder and American Express. In an interview with Business Insider, she described her field as one in which there's never an average day and said that it can sometimes be as dramatic as a Hollywood blockbuster. "This work of corporate affairs, communications, public affairs, government affairs is completely so exciting," she said. "I wake up and look at the news across the globe and I think, 'OK, now my agenda is set.' " The profession is also important, as it can make a significant impact on a company's trajectory, according to Susman, who has advised nine CEOs over the course of her career. But she thinks the field sometimes gets misunderstood. "It's a mistake to consider communications a soft skill," she said. "The leaders and people who want to make change, who I've seen embrace and prioritize their communications, and who know it to be a rock-hard competency, are the game changers." Succeeding in the field requires being a strong writer, Susman said. Comms pros are tasked with storytelling, internal messaging, crafting statements for media outlets and more. "There's no substitute for picking up the pen, parsing the arguments, drafting yourself," she said. Still, that doesn't mean you should avoid using AI tools like ChatGPT, she added. In fact, Susman recommends taking advantage of the technology for conducting research and outlining ideas. "I know many people are apprehensive about AI, but it is an important tool," she said. "Just like photography didn't decimate painting, AI is not going to ruin communications." Talking regularly to executives, politicians, and other leaders can also help with writing by providing knowledge and context, Susman added. Conversations she's had with such individuals over the years informed her thinking, she said, which is why "relationships matter so much." Another piece of advice from Susman for aspiring comms pros is to dive into geopolitics. Always keep up with major events happening around the world and ask yourself what these mean for companies and their employees. "The opportunities around what I call 'global policy and diplomacy topics' are unlimited right now," she said. Also, don't punish yourself for making mistakes. Susman said she's made countless gaffes over the course of her career and has no regrets. "There were times when I failed to do enough due diligence, times my ego got the better of me," she said. "It's just human nature. It's humanity. It's what we do when we're out there trying to make a difference." Having mentored interns and junior employees at Pfizer and companies where she previously worked, Susman said she's noticed that many young people seem to suffer from anxiety. She's seen them do things like rewrite their résumés over and over and stress about what they said or didn't say in meetings — none of which is healthy, she said. "We are judged over long, vast, savannahs of time," she said. "We are not judged in a moment."
Business Insider
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
She helped launch Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in the depths of the pandemic. Now, she's planning her next act.
In early 2020, Pfizer Communications and Policy Chief Sally Susman was stunned when the head of the pharmaceutical company revealed plans to bring a COVID-19 vaccine forward by the end of that year. "It was literally the boldest, most audacious statement I have ever heard," Susman told Business Insider shortly after announcing last week plans to end her nearly two-decade run at Pfizer at the end of 2025. A pioneer of modern corporate communications, Susman described the months that followed as a career-defining opportunity to help build people's trust in the company during an extraordinary time of uncertainty and fear. Amid a barrage of media attention, she pushed for Pfizer to be as transparent as possible about its work, such as by taking steps to safely embed reporters into its clinical trials. "All these things came together in a way that you rarely get a chance to do," said Susman, author of the book "Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World," published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2023. "I always say to people who are in the profession, you don't know what day your life is going to change, when your company is faced with just an unprecedented situation." Susman's pending exit from Pfizer comes as the company is undergoing a restructuring effort due to a number of factors, including slowing demand for its COVID-19 vaccine, expected patent losses, and struggles to gain traction in the booming obesity drug market. Pfizer said her external communications, global policy, patient advocacy, and other duties will be divided among several top executives and she will remain on the board of its philanthropic foundation. "This was the right time for the company and for me to make changes," said Susman. "I have absolutely loved it, but I do have other passions." Why corporate comms matters Susman, 63, started in corporate communications a few years after graduating from Connecticut College in the 1980s, when the field was still relatively new. She said engagement with consumers, investors, and other stakeholders was a trend taking shape at the time, starting with the AIDS crisis. "Then I watched it take hold with environmentalists, with breast cancer survivors, with labor unions," she said. "People sort of rose up and felt that they had a say in the world." Later, social media further elevated the importance of corporate communications, Susman said, as companies needed help managing relations with the public online. Yet it was a legal battle that kicked off in 1996 by her then-employer American Express against its rivals Visa and Mastercard over anti-competition allegations that underscores for her why corporate affairs is such a critical function. "The successful conclusion of the lawsuit was really driven by a supportive communications and government-relations strategy," said Susman, who was American Express's vice president of European corporate affairs at communications at the time. "That's when I had the big aha." Susman has worked under nine chief executive officers throughout her career, including three at Pfizer. "There's nothing more gratifying than having the honor of advising a CEO on their most pressing concerns and opportunities," she said. "That's the rare air." Deirdre Latour, a former communications chief at General Electric, said on LinkedIn that it is hard to overstate the impact of Susman on the corporate communications profession. "When I think of Sally the following words come to kind, consistent, resilient, focused, accomplished, curious and fun," Latour wrote. "She has seen and done it all." 'Like right out of a movie' A major career highlight for Susman came on a Sunday in November of 2020. She recalled wearing a face mask and waiting in a conference room several feet apart from Pfizer Chief Albert Bourla and a handful of other Pfizer executives to learn if the COVID-19 vaccine the company had been developing was viable. It turned out to be safe and effective. "Even though the health regulations said we shouldn't do this, we all hugged, we cried, and we called our loved ones," she recalled. "It felt like right out of a movie." Though Pfizer did contribute to a documentary about the pandemic, the company's story hasn't yet been made into a Hollywood production. Susman said she can picture that happening one day. "I hope someone good plays me," she said, declining to name names. "I'll leave that to others to cast." Retirement is still a ways off for Susman. In September she'll be joining a new, six-month program at the Aspen Institute for those who have achieved success in life but are looking to make a greater impact. "It's where people try to answer for themselves, what's next?" Susman said. "I am deep in discovery around that question."
Bloomberg
08-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Pfizer's Reputation Chief Leaving as Company Shuffles Executives
Sally Susman, who has presided over Pfizer Inc. 's public communications for nearly two decades, will leave the company this year as part of a broader corporate restructuring. Susman's work as chief corporate affairs officer will be split among five executives at the company, Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a companywide email Tuesday that described the move as a mutual decision. Four of her top deputies will also leave the company, according to a person familiar with Pfizer's plans.
