The Language of Leadership
The Art of Clarity, Connection, and Commission
November 15, 2025
Leadership is a language before it becomes a strategy.
Words are the first tools we use to build culture. They are small levers that move big loads. When leaders speak with clarity, people understand what matters. When we speak with connection, people feel seen. When we speak with commission, people know exactly what to do next.
Mastering these three languages gives a team the traction it needs.
Clarity is the move from fog to focus.
It’s the discipline of saying precisely what we mean so people can act without guessing. When a leader says, “Someone should handle this,” the room fills with mist. No one knows who owns the work, and the task drifts. But when a leader says, “Bill, you own this. I want the first draft on my desk by Tuesday at 10:00,” the mist burns off. Ownership is named, a deadline is set, and the path is visible. The same shift happens when we stop saying, “We’ll revisit that later,” and instead say, “We’re choosing Option B for now and will review it on November 13.” People no longer wait for a vague future; they prepare for a concrete moment. Even value statements need this kind of clarity. “Let’s be more customer-centric” sounds admirable, but lands as fog. “Talk to five churned customers by Friday and summarize the two root causes” is the sentence that pulls a team from idealism into useful action.
Fog machines belong at concerts, not in meetings.
Connection is how we mean what we say.
Tone multiplies meaning; posture speaks louder than position. When we lead with curiosity rather than conclusions, we acknowledge the dignity and agency of the people doing the work. “Help me see what you’re seeing. What constraints am I missing from your side?” opens a door. “You didn’t plan this properly,” slams one shut. Curiosity lowers defenses and invites partnership. It’s also essential to connect with people’s emotional reality. Work is human, and emotions are present whether we recognize them or not. A leader who says, “It’s frustrating to redo work—I get it. Let’s protect your time by adding an approval checkpoint before the build,” is practicing connection. They name the feeling without judging it, then point to a safeguard that will prevent the same pain tomorrow. Contrast that with “It happens. Let’s move on.” One sentence dignifies; the other dismisses. In the long run, the first builds trust and speed; the second invites disengagement.
Think of curiosity as WD-40 for relationships—one spray loosens everything.
Commission is the moment when language activates action.
It’s the difference between a meeting that ends in an agreeable conversation and a meeting that ends with movement. Consider the close of a decision meeting. A vague wrap-up like, “Let’s discuss options and see where we land next week,” guarantees another hour on everyone’s calendar and very little in between. A commission close sounds different: “Alex will prepare a one-slide pros-and-cons for Options A and B and send it by Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. Dana will check the cost range and payback and send her summary by Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. as well. We’ll decide on Wednesday at our meeting.” Those sentences create momentum you can feel. They assign ownership to a person, put the work on a schedule, and define what “done” looks like. The same principle applies to risk. “This delay is concerning; keep me posted” leaves action unspecified and expectations unsettled. Instead, say: “The vendor is seven days late. John, get a backup quote today, and at 4:00 p.m., we’ll choose which path to take.” That turns anxiety into a plan.
Left unsupervised, calendar invites multiply like rabbits; commission keeps them in their cage.
Taken together, clarity, connection, and commission form a three-strand cord. Clarity focuses the work by translating big ideas into specific steps. Connection dignifies people by treating them as partners, not pawns. Commission propels the work forward by insisting that every important conversation ends with a named owner, a next step, a time, and a definition of done. Miss one strand and you feel it.
Clarity without connection is cold; people comply but do not commit.
Connection without commission is cozy; the team feels good, but goes nowhere.
Commission without clarity is frantic; everyone is busy, but no one knows if they’re winning.
***When you weave all three, you build a culture that moves with purpose and heart.***
If you want a simple place to practice, start with the last five messages you sent your team. Rewrite one for clarity by replacing generalities with names, verbs, and timestamps. Rewrite one for connection by swapping a conclusion for a curious question and by naming the emotion you sense before you suggest a fix. Rewrite one for commission by ending with a single owner, a single next step, and a single moment on the calendar.
Then take those habits into your meetings. Close every session with a sixty-second summary that answers three questions:
· Who owns what?
· By when?
· And how will we know it’s done?
You’ll hear the difference in your own voice. More importantly, your team will feel it in the way the work begins to move.
Leadership is not merely what we decide; it is how we speak.
Our sentences shape our culture. Choose words that tell the truth, honor people, and move the mission.
Speak like the future depends on it—because it does.
Todd Rutkowski
Read more reflections like “The Language of Leadership" in my free ebook called “Lifelines.” Get Lifelines
