Leadership is commonly associated with charisma, title, or seniority but rarely with knowing how to speak in a corporate setting. If you’ve ever watched someone walk into a meeting and capture attention without raising their voice or rambling, you’ve seen real leadership in action.
Great leaders know when to speak up and how to do it without sounding forced. They choose words that align teams, shift conversations, and build trust.
Here are 7 phrases to use in your everyday conversations as a leader:
1. “Let’s define the goal before we move forward.”
As someone whose decision several people try on, you don’t have to rush through it. Step back and ask: What are we really trying to solve?
It prevents your team from reacting and instead helps them focus on what matters. Clients appreciate it too as it signals that you value their time and want to avoid scope creep.
Use this during kickoff calls, early brainstorming, or when conversations start to drift.
2. “Here’s what success looks like.”
Use this phrase when you want to give your staff a clear destination. Defining success reduces ambiguity, keeps people motivated, and aligns expectations. It offers clear goals for each team member and helps avoid micromanagement. People want to work with someone who sees the big picture. This phrase tells them you do.
3. “What do you need from me to get this done?”
Strong leaders remove obstacles instead of creating them. Using this phrase makes you approachable, especially in cross-functional teams where people often hesitate to ask for help. You’ll also get more honest feedback with this one sentence than with formal check-ins.
4. “Let’s pressure-test that idea.”
Instead of saying “That won’t work,” which shuts people down, this phrase encourages thoughtful debate. It shifts the conversation from personal opinions to shared outcomes. You’re not rejecting an idea, but simply exploring its limits before committing. Use it in strategy meetings, pitch reviews, or during conflict resolution.
5. “I was wrong and here’s what I’ve learned.”
Nothing builds credibility faster than owning your mistakes. Credibility comes from reflection and growth. It also makes it easier for others to admit when they’re off-track, creating a culture of honesty and agility. Use it when results fall short or when someone calls out a misstep.
6. “That’s a strong point, let’s build on it.”
Give credit where credit is due.
It also helps people feel seen, which several corporate employees often complain about. By validating their contribution, you channel them towards progress. It’s especially effective during team meetings, when you want to encourage participation but keep discussions productive.
7. “Let’s take 5 minutes to align before we jump in.”
Leaders slow things down to speed them up.
This phrase is a gift to any team in a high-pressure setting. Whether it’s before a big client call or internal sprint, pausing for alignment avoids confusion and unnecessary rework.
Why These Phrases Work
They work because they reflect core leadership behaviors:
- Clarity over complexity
- Direction over reaction
- Support over control
- Results over performance theatre
In a corporate setting, it’s important to keep conversations focused, elevate morale, and move people toward a shared goal.
Ready to Strengthen Your Executive Voice in the Corporate World?
Verified Communications is a Toronto-based public relations and communications agency trusted by startups, founders, CEOs, and business leaders since 2016. We’ve worked with the likes of Gap, Amazon, and Walmart. Now, we partner with clients that demand big-brand thinking without the big agency bloat.
Lean by design and built to scale, we blend strategy with storytelling to make audiences feel something real. Our project and retained services for startups, established brands, and executives include public relations, executive communications, corporate communications, media relations, media training, message development, crisis communications, and thought leadership content development.
Get in touch to build your executive communications strategy or book 1:1 leadership communication training.
