ADVICE TO GRADUATING STUDENTS: RESPONDING TO EXECUTIVES AND SENIOR LEADERS . . .
. . . is not about impressing them but giving them what they need. Executives operate with extreme time pressure, high responsibility, and constant context-switching. They value clarity, calmness, and people who make their lives easier.
When dealing with executives, be CLEAR:
- Be Calm: executives want steadiness and emotional control, not people who amplify pressure or urgency.
- Be Lucid: executives want the core message immediately understandable, not mentally taxing to decode.
- Be Efficient: executives tune out rambling explanations and tune in to crisp, economical points.
- Be Accountable: executives expect a proposed path forward, not an ask for instructions.
- Be Reliable: executives judge you by consistent patterns of behavior, not isolated moments.
Every interaction with an executive is a chance to build trust. With trust everything moves. Without it, nothing does.
