Pay Careful Attention to What Is Not Said

Silence, deflection, and a change of subject are messages too,  especially from executives and boards.

Mid- and senior-level technical professionals are trained to answer the question in front of them. That instinct serves you well in technical review, but it falls short with executive management and boards of directors, where the real message often lives in the space between the words.

The Silence Is the Signal

Boards and senior executives rarely say no directly. They ask a narrower question than the one you expected. They move to the next agenda item without a follow-up. They thank you for the presentation without committing to the recommendation. None of that is an oversight. It is a choice, and it usually means the decision has not gone the way you hoped.

Track the Absence, Not Just the Discussion

After a meeting with senior leadership, most technical professionals recap what was said. A better practice is to recap what was not. Did anyone ask about the budget? Did the board chair reference next steps? Did a director who is normally vocal stay quiet?

Missing questions and missing commitments are data. They deserve the same scrutiny as the comments that made it into the minutes.

The Tip: Keep a Running List of What Is Missing

The next time you leave a meeting with executive management or a board, write down what was not said, not just what was. Silence, avoidance, and vague enthusiasm carry their own message. As technical professionals, learning to read the gap provides understanding of where we stand with decision makers. And it occurs sooner and more accurately than colleagues who track only the words on the record.

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The first E in FINESSE stands for empathy. Empathy starts with listening to their issues and concerns before your own.

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JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method^©.