How to Get Your Boss's Boss to Understand

The lesson is that an early-user edge was never going to last, but the judgment about when AI helps and when it quietly misleads is a better asset for the long run. Tools commoditize. Judgment compounds.

Background: I asked an AI assistant, Copilot, to provide a list of APA citations that tied to each of eight monthly articles that I intend to write and publish. The goal is to use those citations (and links) in the articles and, preferably, tie as many as possible to my writing on www.jdsolomonsolutions.com. The bottom line is that I caught the AI assistant deceiving me by making up citations to articles that didn’t exist. But I did ask AI to tell me what happened, why it hap

Communicating “to” someone is based upon the foundational communication model, linear communication. Linear models take the form of “source-message-receiver” and consider communication as one-way. The burden of effective communication is on the sender. The approach is most appropriate for technical specialists who are reporting up the line.

Listening to a group of executives is an active process of interpretation, observation, and synthesis. The most respected professionals in the room are usually the ones who speak less and listen more actively.

Whether you’re facilitating a strategic planning session or chairing a formal board meeting, your job is not to be the smartest person in the room. Your job is to create the conditions where the group can do its best thinking and make defensible decisions.

Instead of asking, “Will I get in trouble if I skip this?” try asking, “Who might I be excluding if I don’t include this?” That shift in mindset is what separates a bare-minimum communicator from a truly effective one.

In the Communicating with FINESSE® framework, effective communication is for the receiver (the decision maker), not the message sender (you).

Start with your next slide deck. Spend extra time focusing on symbols and shapes instead of colors.

Certain patterns emerged that reflect the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®: Frame, Illustrate, Noise Reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics.

There’s usually less pressure than we imagine, but it also means the real work happens long before the meeting begins.

Dependability shows up in moments of pressure, when conditions change, and when others need reassurance that someone will step forward.

The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram is a powerful tool for addressing communication challenges in major decisions.

Canva makes these shortcomings worse by setting up the case of "flexibility that supports creativity" versus "structure that supports accessibility.”

These are five things I did to make it appear as much like a facilitated session as possible, and most importantly, achieve the desired collaboration.

Understanding what facilitation is and the elements of CATER provides the foundation for guiding participants to solutions that are created, understood, and accepted by all.

For my money, the top question is whether you trust executive leadership.

However, without clear and effective communication, even the most well-structured risk management plans fail in execution.

Effective business cases foster ongoing alignment rather than simply persuading stakeholders at a single moment in time,

Traditional communication approaches miss these three elements for high-stakes presentations. Most communication training focuses on...

By adopting checklists, seeking third-party reviews, and utilizing the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram, you can greatly improve your communication