Let’s start off today with some exciting news! We’re gearing up for the launch of the inaugural cohort of my brand new program, Speak Like a Senior Leader. I’m honestly blown away by the response – during the VIP enrollment period to the waitlist only. Which just speaks (pun intended) to how needed this program is for those of you who have the skills – you just need the language, articulation – to make sure that your results and perception actually match your title and the level you’re operating at. 

But I’ve been hearing something REALLY frustrating as I’ve been chatting with some people who have already signed up .

Many have told me they’ve done executive presence seminars before. Maybe you have too. Maybe your company sent you to some two-day workshop in a hotel ballroom with danishes and burnt coffee. Maybe you bought something online. And maybe like them, you walked away initially feeling excited! Ready to finally get the respect you’re owed. 

But then Monday rolls around. And the same challenges came rolling back around.

You’re back in the conference room getting talked over by leaders who don’t even acknowledge their contributions. Your boss asks you for a lot more details when you’ve already presented perfectly solid recommendations that should have been approved on the spot. You’re still watching colleagues with half your track record get promoted while you’re stuck explaining why you deserve a seat at the table.

And you might think… What the heck? I just spent thousands of dollars on this. I did the exercises in the room. Why am I STILL hitting these roadblocks?

Here’s what’s making me so frustrated on your behalf: It’s not your fault these programs didn’t work.

The honest truth most “executive presence” programs won’t tell you is that they teach you to perform confidence for a few hours in a workshop. They don’t teach you how to build credibility in the real world, day after day, interaction after interaction.

And there’s a MASSIVE difference between those two things.

Most programs give you a handful of surface-level tips and send you on your way: “Use more assertive body language!” “Lower your voice!” “Take up space!” “Make more eye contact!” “Use stronger handshakes!”

All of that might make you look more confident in a role-play exercise with strangers in a hotel conference room. But it completely misses the psychology of influence that actually drives how senior leaders make decisions about who to trust, who to promote, and who gets a seat at the strategic table.

They don’t teach you how to read the room and flex your communication style so your message actually lands with different personality types. Your CFO might process information completely differently than your Head of Marketing. What works to convince one will totally bomb with the other. But nobody shows you how to decode these differences and adapt in real time.

They don’t show you how to structure your thinking so complex ideas become crystal clear in 30 seconds or less. Because at the senior level, you don’t get 20 minutes to build your case. You get about a few mins max to prove you’re worth listening to, and most people blow that window.

And those programs definitely don’t help you handle the moment when someone challenges you in front of the entire leadership team without looking defensive or flustered. You know that moment – when your skip level boss asks a pointed question that feels like an attack, or when your peer tries to poke holes in your strategy in front of everyone. How you respond in those moments determines whether you’re seen as leadership material or not.

THAT’S why you’re still fighting the same battles even after spending thousands on executive presence training or reading all the books. 

Because escaping what I call the “gravitas gap” – that space between your skills and how you’re seen — escaping it isn’t as simple as striking a power pose. It’s about the entire ecosystem of how you communicate.

It’s about the way you frame problems in emails so they get prioritized instead of ignored. It’s about how you recover when a presentation goes sideways and everyone’s watching to see if you can handle the pressure. It’s about the specific language you use to position your wins so they’re seen as strategic value, not just task completion.

It’s about knowing how to disagree with your boss without being labeled as “difficult.” It’s about presenting bad news in a way that actually increases confidence in your leadership. It’s about asking for resources without sounding needy or entitled.

These are the skills that separate senior leaders from everyone else. And these are the skills that traditional executive presence programs completely ignore because THEY are focused on performance, not psychology.

This is what makes what we will teach you inside SLSL different. It’s a complete communication overhaul that touches every single interaction you have. We’re talking 12 weeks of live, hands-on coaching where you bring your real challenges – the actual presentation you’re giving to the board next month, the tricky email you need to send to your VP about budget constraints, the stakeholder who keeps steamrolling you in meetings and undermining your authority.

You get direct feedback from me on your specific situations. We workshop your language in real time. You leave each call with exact scripts and strategies you can use immediately in your actual job with your actual colleagues.

Most importantly: You’re not doing this alone. You’re in a cohort of other mid-to-senior level professionals who get it. Who’ve also sat through those generic workshops wondering why nothing changed. Who understand the unique challenges of trying to be heard and respected at your level.

As I mentioned, we’re officially opening enrollment to the public very soon. And to kick it all off, I’m hosting a brand new, totally free training called “5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader.” This training is happening July 17th at 3pm ET. I’m going to give you the exact roadmap you need to start shifting how you’re perceived immediately to sound credible, clear, and get paid 20-40% more – without extra hours. Just head to https://melodywilding.com/training to RSVP. It’s totally free and yes a replay will be sent, but you have to be signed up. 

Here’s what we’ll be covering:
 

Pinpoint exactly what’s going wrong if you aren’t commanding credibility and respect – even if you’re doing the work of someone two levels up

What it REALLY means when you’re told “you need executive presence” (hint: it has nothing to do with being louder or wearing nicer clothes)

Small tweaks you can make TODAY to articulate yourself with such polish and precision, your boss’s boss says, “We need you looped in earlier.”

Unveil my 5-step system that gets clients at top Fortune 500 companies tapped for 6-figure promotions (without annoying buzzwords or 10 hours of prep)

And of course, at the end of this training, I’ll be opening the doors to the public for enrollment in the Speak Like a Senior Leader program to fill the remaining spots in our inaugural cohort. I’d absolutely love to see you there for the free training on July 17th.  So head to melodywilding.com/training to grab your spot for this free training.

Now, here’s a perfect example of what I mean about the psychology of influence being so much deeper than surface-level tips and hacks. Today in this episode, I want to talk about decoding executive speak. I’m talking about those diplomatic phrases that leave you wondering what the heck they actually meant. We’re going to break down 10 common phrases you might hear, and more importantly, what they might really mean when you hear them. 

But first, let me clarify what I mean by “executive speak” and why this matters so much for your career and frankly your sanity. 

Executive speak is the tactful, careful, often indirect language that senior leaders use. Often when they can’t just say exactly what they’re thinking because too many people are listening and too much is at stake.  When they’re trying to manage multiple people and priorities all at once. 

When executives use diplomatic language, it’s usually not because they’re trying to be fake or manipulative. Sometimes they’re managing team dynamics and trying to keep people comfortable enough to share ideas. Sometimes they’re buying time because they know about budget cuts or strategy changes that haven’t been announced yet.

But honestly? A lot of the time, this is just how people talk at that level. When you’re surrounded by other executives who all speak this way, you start adopting the same language patterns. It becomes the vernacular of senior leadership – using these phrases signals that you belong in that world. This can be why understanding executive speak matters. It’s not just about decoding hidden meanings – it’s about learning to communicate at that level so you’re seen as belonging there too.

And here’s something people don’t want to admit: Some executives genuinely don’t know how to say what they mean. They’ve gotten so used to being careful about what they say that they’ve lost the ability to just state it plainly. They think the way they talk makes them sound more thoughtful or strategic, even when clarity would be way more helpful.

Now before we get into decoding these statements, I also want to say that sometimes there’s NOT a hidden meaning.  Sometimes these responses that we’re going to go over are exactly what they appear to be – genuine requests for time, information, or broader input. The key is learning to read context, timing, and patterns rather than assuming every phrase is automatically a polite rejection, redirection, question or something else.

So how do you know the difference? Well, the timing is one thing that matters enormously. The same phrase can carry completely different weight depending on when in the quarter it’s said, what’s happening in the broader organization, and what other priorities are competing for attention. 

Consider the relationship history as well. Your track record with that leader, the political landscape all influence how what they say to you should be interpreted and if there’s subtext.

And as I mentioned a moment ago, sometimes executive speak isn’t about you or your idea at all. It’s about managing other people in the room or broader organizational dynamics that you’re not privy to. Their response might serve multiple purposes: it might keep options open or buy time to handle other personalities properly. None of that necessarily reflects on the quality of your work or ideas.

This is why learning to decode executive speak is so crucial for your advancement. What I don’t want you to do is become paranoid reading into every response. It’s about developing a sophisticated radar that allows you to navigate the context around you successfully. 

Alright, let’s get into decoding those 5 executive speak phrases – what they are, what they might really mean, and what to do about them. 

Number 1. We need to be more strategic about this. You may also hear:

“Let’s think bigger picture here

“We should take a more strategic approach”

“This feels a bit tactical to me”

“We need to elevate our thinking”

“This seems very in-the-weeds”

What do all of these things really mean in executive speak? Usually it’s that you’re too focused on execution and details instead of business impact, or your idea is just too small-scale for what they need right now. Maybe you’re presenting a solution that affects one team when they need something that transforms how the entire organization operates. You might be solving the “how” without addressing the “why” or showing them what this means for the bigger picture. They need you to zoom out and connect your idea to larger company goals. To focus on longer-term rather than the immediate, tactical problems. 

That doesn’t have to mean huge changes. A fix can be incorporating certain phrases when you’re presenting ideas. THings like “This supports our goal of X” or “The big shift we’ll gain here is… Y”. Just adding those few words shows you think like an owner, you’re able to see patterns and draw inferences, that you can translate the tactical into something of more substantial value. 

Think across functions too. You might mention how a decision impacts or benefits other departments. You could say- “This not only solves our immediate challenge but also supports Marketing’s Q4 campaign and gives Finance better predictability with our numbers.” When you start connecting the dots — demonstrating the ripple effects – you so better business acumen.  That you understand the SYSTEM, not just your individual silo. That you can see around corners and anticipate downstream effects. 

Decoding executive speak phrase #2 is: you have to socialize this idea more. You might also hear:

Let’s get some input from the broader team” “We need to build consensus around this” “It would be good to get more stakeholders on board” “Let’s make sure everyone’s aligned before we move forward” “We should get buy-in from the key players first”

What does this really mean in executive speak? Usually it’s that your idea will get shot down if you present it now, and they’re trying to save you and THEMSELVES from that embarrassment. There could also be opposition or skepticism they know about that you don’t. Maybe Legal sees compliance issues. Maybe there’s someone influential who got burned by a similar initiative before and will torpedo this the moment it hits their radar.

The leader likely isn’t trying to stall you – they’re actually trying to help you succeed while also keeping their own reputation and social capital intact. They’re telling you the political landscape isn’t ready for your idea yet, and you need to do some groundwork first.

That doesn’t have to mean months of schmoozing. Sometimes it’s as simple as a 15-minute coffee chat with the skeptic to understand their concerns, or looping in someone early so they don’t feel blindsided when budget requests come later. The key is identifying who the real decision influencers are – not just the people in the official org chart, but the ones whose opinion actually carries weight.

In my book Managing Up, In the first chapter The Alignment Conversation, I talk about a simple exercise called power mapping that’s incredibly useful here. Take some sticky notes and map out the key people based on two dimensions: their level of influence – how much positional power and sway they have – and their level of interest in your specific project. Draw a simple grid with influence on one axis and interest on the other.

The people in the high influence, high interest quadrant? Those are your highest priority. These are the people you need to give talking points to, involve early in discussions, and make sure they’re champions before you ever walk into that formal presentation. The high influence, low interest people need education – you have to help them understand why they should care. Low influence, high interest folks can become your foot soldiers and ambassadors. And the low influence, low interest group? You can pretty much put them aside for now.

What’s powerful about this approach is that it forces you to think beyond just presenting your idea and hoping for the best. You’re building a coalition of support before you need it. You’re anticipating objections and addressing them offline. You’re making sure that when you do present, you already have influential voices ready to back you up.

This is exactly what speaking like a senior leader looks like in practice. You’re not just focused on the quality of your idea – you’re thinking about the ecosystem it has to survive in. You understand that great ideas fail all the time because someone didn’t read the room or build the right allies first. And the counterintuitive part is that sometimes speaking like a senior leader actually means having others speak FOR you, on your behalf. 

When you demonstrate this kind of approach to stakeholder management, you’re you understand how decisions really get made and you’re sophisticated enough to navigate politics without getting burned or making enemies. 

Executive speak phrase #3: let’s circle back on this…which can also sound like 

Let’s put a pin in this” “We can revisit this next quarter” “We’ll table this for now” “Why don’t we park this and come back to it” “Let’s keep this on the back burner” or “We’ll loop back around to this when the timing is better”

What does this really mean in executive speak? Sometimes it’s that this isn’t happening anytime soon, and they’re giving you a soft rejection while keeping the door technically open. Sometimes it’s a polite way of saying “no” without having to actually say no – because saying no directly can feel harsh or might shut down creativity from your team so they’re trying to let you down easy. 

But there are different flavors of “circle back” that are worth understanding. Sometimes you haven’t made a convincing case yet – they see your idea as a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have. You might be solving a problem that feels minor compared to the bigger fires they’re dealing with. Or maybe they just don’t see the urgency or imperative you’re seeing. What feels critical to you might look like a low priority to THEM. They message hasn’t quite landed. 

Context really matters here too. If you’re hearing this in Q4 when budgets are locked and everyone’s focused on hitting year-end numbers, it genuinely might mean “good idea, wrong timing.” If it’s about something that requires resources they know aren’t available, they’re actually protecting you from spinning your wheels on something that can’t get funded anyway.

The tricky part is when leaders use this phrase because they don’t want to make a decision at all. They’re hoping the issue will either resolve itself or that you’ll lose interest and move on to something else. It can be a form of decision avoidance disguised as thoughtful consideration, which then leaves you in limbo. .

The key is understanding what would need to change for this to actually come back to life. Don’t just accept “we’ll circle back” and walk away confused and demoralized. Ask questions to get a better read on the resistance. Try “What would need to be in place for us to revisit this?” or “What would make this a priority in Q2?” Or you might say “I want to make sure I understand the concerns – is this about resource constraints or does the approach need work?” Often what sounds like “let’s circle back” is really “I’m not convinced this is worth the investment yet.” When you can surface the real objection, you can address it directly instead of just hoping time will magically fix things.

This demonstrates senior-level thinking because you’re not just accepting vague deferrals and walking away with your tail between your legs. You’re staying with the discomfort and genuinely trying to understand the logic behind the decision. Not to be confrontational or resistant yourself, but because you want what’s best for the team and organization. When you can gracefully accept the timing while positioning for future success, you’re proving you understand that sometimes the most elevated thing you can do is be patient and strategic about when to re-engage. You’re also showing you can handle feedback and rejection without getting defensive, which is exactly what they need to see before they trust you with bigger decisions.

Now let’s decode executive speak phrase number 4 which in some ways is the opposite of what we just talked about. When you hear… we need to move fast on this…which can also sound like “This needs to be our top priority” “We can’t afford to wait on this” “Time is of the essence here” “We need to accelerate this timeline” “This has become mission-critical” “We’re behind where we need to be on this”

What does this really mean in executive speak? It could be something truly urgent, or they’re panicking about something they should have addressed months ago that has now become a problem. Sometimes it means a competitor just launched something that caught them off guard, a major client is threatening to walk, or the board just asked pointed questions they couldn’t answer well.

Here’s the thing – there’s a big difference between real urgency and manufactured urgency, and you need to figure out which one you’re dealing with. Real urgency comes from external pressures that have actual consequences. Think regulatory deadlines that can’t be moved, competitive threats that are gaining ground fast, or big accounts who are literally about to sign with someone else. These are the situations where moving fast actually matters.

Manufactured urgency is different. It usually comes from poor planning, internal politics, or leaders who’ve suddenly woken up to the fact that they’re going to miss a commitment they made to their boss six months ago. Maybe they promised the CEO this would be done by Q4 and just realized it’s October. Maybe the board meeting is next week and they need something to show for all that budget they requested. Maybe they’ve been procrastinating on a decision and now the delay is becoming embarrassing.

Sometimes “we need to move fast” is really code for “I’m getting heat from above and need to show progress quickly so I don’t look incompetent.” They might be feeling pressure from their boss or getting uncomfortable questions about why this strategic initiative hasn’t moved forward. Other times, something has genuinely spooked them. Like they just found out that three competitors are working on similar solutions and suddenly realized they’re not as innovative as they thought. Or they discovered that waiting another quarter means missing a crucial market window that won’t open again for years.

The challenge is that both types of urgency can feel equally intense when you’re the one getting the directive. But the way you respond should be completely different depending on what’s really driving it. Just like in our last response, ask questions here too. “What’s changed that’s making this more time-sensitive?”

If it feels like manufactured urgency, offer phased approaches. You might say “I can get you the core functionality in three weeks, but the full solution will take two months – which piece do you need first?” This shows you understand their pressure while protecting your team from impossible deadlines. Sometimes what they really need is just enough progress to report upward, not a complete solution immediately.

When it’s real urgency, help them think through trade-offs strategically. Present options: “We can hit that deadline if we defer these two features and add two more developers, or we can keep the current scope but push the timeline by three weeks.” You’re not just saying yes or no – you’re giving them choices that let them make informed decisions about what matters most.

This is exactly how senior leaders handle pressure. Instead of just scrambling to say yes to impossible timelines, you’re actually helping them think through what’s realistic and what the real trade-offs are. You get that “moving fast” isn’t about cutting corners or burning people out – it’s about being smart with priorities and resources. When you can stay calm under pressure and offer solutions that actually work, you’re showing them you think like someone who’s responsible for outcomes, not just someone who takes orders. You’re proving you won’t just throw your team under the bus to make yourself look responsive, which is exactly the kind of judgment they need to see before they trust you with bigger decision

Alright, Executive speak phrase #5: this needs more polish…which can also sound like “Let’s refine this a bit more” “This isn’t quite ready yet” “We need to tighten this up” “Let’s get this to the next level”

What does this really mean in executive speak? Usually they’re not asking you to fix typos or change fonts and this feedback it trips people up because it feels cosmetic when it’s most of the time it’s actually deeper than that.

You might be sharing solid work, but it’s buried in too many bullet points, too much context, or too much caution. You’re hedging your bets. You’re explaining too much. You’re missing the point entirely. In plain terms: it’s not just what you’re saying – it’s how you’re saying it that’s the problem.

When leaders ask for more “executive polish,” it usually means your insights aren’t sharp enough. You’re presenting data without a clear takeaway. You gave them a menu when they wanted a recommendation. There’s no clear conclusion or through line. They can see the work is correct, but it’s not commanding. It lacks proper framing. Senior leaders want to know what matters most, what’s at risk, and what you recommend – and they want to know it fast. If they have to dig for that information, you lose them immediately. Executives don’t want a data dump; they want direction. “More executive polish” often translates to: “You buried the lead. You haven’t prioritized what matters most. And now I have to dig for it, which I won’t.” Your email or presentation left them thinking, “OK… but what are you actually asking me for?”

Sometimes, less often, it really is about the packaging itself – your slides are way too packed with text, the data is hard to follow, your design looks amateur and isn’t client-ready. But all those surface issues point back to the same fundamental problem: no one is going to read this or understand what to do with it.

The key is understanding that “polish” at the executive level means clarity of thought, not prettier formatting. Instead of just asking questions, take a step back and audit your own work with fresh eyes. Read your email or presentation as if you’re a busy executive who has 30 seconds to understand what you need from them. Can you identify your main recommendation in the first sentence? If not, restructure everything to lead with your conclusion.

Strip out all the setup and context that feels necessary to you but slows them down. Start with your recommendation, then provide just enough supporting evidence to back it up. If you can’t immediately explain why that data point or background detail matters for the decision at hand TODAY, cut it. 

Every piece of content should have a clear purpose and call to action. This demonstrates senior-level thinking because you’re taking ownership of the communication challenge instead of putting the burden on them to guide you. You understand that executive polish isn’t about making things look nice – it’s about making complex information accessible and actionable. When you can self-edit for clarity and impact without being prompted, you’re showing them you think like someone who values their time and understands what decision-makers actually need. You’re proving you can operate independently at the level of sophistication they expect from senior contributors.

So today we decoded 5 executive speak phrases and what they may REALLY mean. 

As you move up, you’ll actually start using these same phrases yourself – and that’s not a bad thing. When you’re juggling multiple stakeholders and competing priorities, sometimes “Let’s circle back on that” really is the smartest response. Sometimes you genuinely do need people to build consensus before bringing ideas to you. But you have to use this language intentionally, not just because you don’t know how else to say what you mean or youre afraid to.

The real advantage comes from being fluent in both languages. When you can decode what executives are actually saying AND speak their language back to them, you become multilingual in a way that most of your colleagues aren’t. And THAT kind of situational awareness and flexibility is exactly what marks you as ready for bigger things.

Speaking of which, make sure you’ve grabbed your spot for my free training: “5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader” happening on July 17th at 3pm ET where I will take you through the simple roadmap to sound credible, clear, and position yourself to get paid 20-40% more – without working tons of extra hours

You’ll finally understand what people really mean when they say you need “executive presence” (spoiler: it’s not about talking louder or buying expensive suits). And I’ll show you the simple shifts you can make right away that immediately change how people perceive you. Just head to melodywilding.com/training to save your spot – it’s totally free, and honestly, this if you are someone who feels like you are great at your job but that’s not translating into credibility. I’ll see you there and I’ll catch you on the next episode.