As a leader, you sometimes need to communicate with someone else that you don’t have authority over on a result that MUST be achieved. You can’t reduce the significance of it, and at the same time you must be positive about it. In today’s post, Pete shares a word of advice about how to thread that needle.
Here’s a second word of advice on how to offer a word of advice. Last time, I talked about lowering pressure when you hold authority—because pressure can make it harder for people to listen, absorb, and respond constructively. But this time, the insight comes from a peer, someone who had no authority over me, and whose advice landed powerfully because of how he delivered it.
Sometimes the moment truly is important. Sometimes the advice deserves weight. In professional services communication, business development training, and leadership communication, not every situation calls for softening the message. What matters is how you communicate your belief in the other person.
He didn’t minimize the issue. He didn’t say, “Hey, no big deal, but maybe try this.” Instead, he did three things that made all the difference:
Then he did something brilliant: he didn’t give me a solution. He simply said, “Here’s the result we need. I know you can figure out how to make it happen.”
That clarity, confidence, and trust sparked my own confident presence. I rose to the occasion because he believed I could.
This approach is powerful in client engagement skills, interview skills training for professionals, and presentation skills coaching because it activates intrinsic motivation. When someone believes you can succeed, you want to step up. You feel capable. You see yourself differently.
The advice sticks because the delivery honors the person’s intelligence, agency, and resourcefulness.
When circumstances are right—when the stakes matter, when you respect the person, or when you know they’re capable—try this approach:
This style of guidance inspires ownership. It strengthens business speaking skills and nurtures leadership capacity in others. And it often produces results far beyond what direct advice or step-by-step instructions achieve.
Look for opportunities to encourage people in this way—to help them step up and produce the results you already know they can create.
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