10 Powerful Phrases That Will Improve Your Leadership
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Leadership is all about communication. But what does that mean on a practical level?
I remember some of the core principles of my Speech 101 and Oral Communication for the Professions college courses. I received personal coaching before speaking to a crowd of 5,000+. But, as helpful as those classes and experiences were, I donât feel like they gave me some of the core skills needed to communicate effectively.
What really mattered, I discovered, was conversation. The day-to-day exchange of information. The chatter around the water cooler. The small talk before the meeting. The huddle in the cubicle. The update in the elevator. These small speeches were where leadership became evident, culture was formed, and success was born.
Here are 10 simple phrases that can shape your conversational ability and, by extension, advance your leadership. Whether youâre a project manager, a senior vice president, or an individual contributor to your organization, these phrases are packed with power and can be used in personal conversations, meetings, talks with your team members, or interactions with your boss.

1. I want to be completely transparent with you.
What it says:
- What Iâm about to say is really important and I value you enough to drop all pretense.
When to use it:
- When youâre solving a problem or stressing a significant point.
This phrase is often expressed in a faulty way: âIâm going be totally honest with you.â That one bothers me. Why? Because it suggests they arenât normally totally honest with me. Why do they have to assert their honesty as a prelude to what theyâre going to say? Honesty should be a given.
Instead, to make a strong point, stress your transparency. Transparency draws people together. You canât build a trusted working relationship with someone without some level of transparency and opening up about lifeâs shared experiences.
Being âcompletely transparentâ helps draw your listeners in so they feel the importance of what youâre saying.

2. I wonder if . . .
What it says:
- Iâm curious about it and want you to think about it, too.
When to use it:
- When youâre making an argument or proposing a solution that might receive negative feedback.
The phrase is tentative enough to keep you from sounding like a know-it-all. Youâre admitting, in an understated way, that you donât have all the answers. However, you do have a crack at it, and youâre going to say it.
The âwonderâ verbiage helps spark a bit of curiosity in others, too. If youâre âwonderingâ about something, you might get them wondering, too.
When youâre in a meeting and would like to offer a solution, begin by saying âI wonder ifâŠâ
- I wonder if we could move Jason to a project manager role.
- I wonder if our focus on design might be overshadowing the functionality of the device.
- I wonder if we need to look at conversion optimization before we raise our prices.
This simple phrase becomes a soft, but effective way to press your point and advance your ideas.
3. Can I share a personal example?
What it says:
- Iâm going to share a bit of information thatâs personal but respect your time enough to ask your permission first.
- What Iâm about to share with you is deep and meaningful. Please listen to my story.
When to use it:
- When youâre illustrating a point, supporting an argument, or teaching a life lesson.
Thereâs a reason why celebrity gossip is a multimillion-dollar industry. We love to hear about personal experiences, even if their last name doesnât end in â-ardashian.â
Personal examples are far more compelling than generic platitudes or exhortations. When we tie personality up into our conversation, it moves people.
Besides, humans are wired to love stories. When you tell a story, people want to listen. It doesnât matter if itâs a short story or an epic novelâpeople want to hear it.
So the next time youâre telling a team member how to improve his coding or why he needs to come to work on time, give this phrase a try.
4. Let me turn the question around and ask you.
What it says:
- You brought up a great issue. I genuinely respectâand want to hearâyour opinion on it.
- Please tell me your thoughts. I will listen.
When to use it:
- When you arenât sure of the issue, donât have a clear answer, or want to help the person youâre talking with come to an understanding of the issue theyâre facing.
One of the best ways to deal with questions is simply to turn them back around to the person whoâs asking the question. Iâve had this happen to me. I have a question I think only the boss can answer, so I hurriedly scurry off to find him. I ask the question, and my boss flips it.
Maybe he rephrases the question, or provides a different angle. Whatever the case, Iâm now faced with answering the very question I asked. A lot of times, I experience some breakthrough understanding of the issue.
This phrase doesnât just help people think through their own problem. It also empowers your team to make decisions on their own.
5. Let me show you some research.
What it says:
- I care enough about this issue to do the hard work of finding facts.
- Here are some real-world examples that support what Iâm trying to say.
When to use it:
- When youâre trying to prove your point.
Rather than convince people with power moves and strong-arm techniques, use data to show the way. Convince them through numbers, research, and legitimate information.
When you go to the work of collecting data, youâve provided yourself with 2 powerful resources of persuasion:
- Youâve proven your point is worthy of time and research.
- You can show research that supports the point youâre trying to make.
Of course, this means you have to do the research, so donât neglect that first component.
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6. Letâs try it your way.
What it says:
- You have a great idea, and Iâm willing to implement it.
- Iâm your partner on this.
When to use it:
- When a team member proposes an idea and you want to put it into action.
This phrase expresses trust in someone elseâs contribution. Youâre empowering her with a significant amount of decision-making ability. But at the same time, youâre reminding her sheâs responsible for the action being taken.
7. How do you feel about that?
What it says:
- I care about, not only whatâs going on, but how you feel about it.
- You matter to me as an individual.
When to use it:
- When you sense a person has an underlying emotion they havenât expressed.
- When youâre arbitrating a conflict between people.
Businesses purportedly run on numbers and data. We make decisions logically. Yet none of us can deny the significance of feelings in the ebb and flow of organizational life. People are driven by feelings as much as anything else.
As leaders, we need to understand these feelings to make the most effective decisions. Feelings can be strong, and they can boil over into rash behavior or lead to faulty decision-making. A truly intuitive leader will understand such feelings and respond accordingly.
In personal conversation, you can change the entire tenor and attitude with this simple question.
8. This conversation has made me feel _____.
What it says:
- This conversation has been important. I want you to know my feelings on the issue and, in particular, how this conversation has affected me.
When to use it:
- When youâre wrapping up a conversation and want to leave the person with a takeaway.
- Itâs sometimes effective for mollifying a conflict with someone.
When it comes to transparency in conversation, I suggest that you use this phrase, not as a manipulative technique, but as a way to personally disclose your concerns.
Once, I had a personal conflict with an individual. This personâolder, more powerful, more well-known, more respectedâspent a couple of hours pointing out all the flaws in my character and conduct. It was a tough couple of hours for me. At the end of the conversation, I used this phrase and, without defensiveness, shared a bit of the pain. I think my comment made him stop and think about the venting he had just spent a couple of hours engaging in.
Thatâs just one example of where this phrase can be used. You can also use it in a non-conflict-driven context. For example, if you have a really good meeting with a client and made some progress, you can say, âThis conversation has made me feel really good about where our project is going this June. I think weâre going to see some remarkable success.â
9. Thatâs a really good observation, and Iâd like to spend some time reflecting on it before we go any further.
What it says:
- Iâm not capable of answering this question, but I want to think about it.
- What youâve just shared is really significant and may change things. I want to give it serious consideration.
When to use it:
- When youâre faced with a difficult decision you need to think about.
Leadership isnât all about instant decisions. Sometimes, you have to think things over. One phrase that gives you the runway for doing so is the âThatâs good, and letâs pauseâ phrase.
This phrase has two-fold power. First, youâre acknowledging the input of the person youâre meeting with. Second, youâre buying yourself time to think about it.
10. I really donât have an answer for that right now.
What it says:
- Iâm humble enough to admit I donât know the answer but am willing to look into it further.
When to use it:
- When you need to buy time to make a decision or come up with a solution.
Honesty is always the best policy, even when your honesty leads you to say, âI have no clue.â Itâs better to admit ignorance than pretend you have knowledge in some area that you donât.
The qualifier âright nowâ leaves the door open for you to come back and say, âI wonder ifâŠâ to provide a proposed answer.
Use authentic conversation to build trust with your team
Leadership consists of far more than just simple phrases. But unless you have some degree of conversational effectiveness, your leadership cannot thrive.
These phrases, when used with authentic intentionality, can help you communicate better. From understanding feelings to reversing questions to venturing answers, your role as a leader is to conduct yourself in a respectful yet effective wayâone conversation at a time.
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