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Your truth, their truth

Your truth, your words.
Their truth, their words.

If you want someone to see your truth, it’s not going to work using your words.

You need to find their words. A way of speaking about your truth in a way that it makes sense for them.

That’s true for the foundational things you believe.

But it’s also true for:
→ The way you communicate your vision.
→ The way you navigate tough negotiations.
→ How you pitch your ideas to stakeholders.
→ How you frame feedback so it actually lands.
→ How you gain buy-in for a bold new direction.
→ The way you rally your team around a strategy.
→ How you position change so people embrace it.
→ The way you make people feel heard and valued.
→ How you resolve conflicts without escalating them.
→ The way you shape culture, not just enforce policies.
→ How you turn abstract goals into compelling narratives.
→ How you align diverse perspectives toward a common goal.
→ The way you sell – not just products, but ideas and decisions.
→ The way you challenge assumptions without alienating people.
→ The way you make your message stick long after the meeting is over.

It all comes down to this:
People don’t act on what makes sense to you.
They act on what makes sense to them.

The Challenger

In most larger organizations, the overwhelming impression is that ‘the game’ is the only path to success.

Communication tactics, office politics, manipulative strategies.

Everyone hates it. Yet everyone seems to play it.

Do you?

Now here’s the thing: It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. The game only works because it’s the default.

It works because no one offers an alternative.

In other words, it works until someone shows up who leads with rigorous honesty, empathy, and trust … and succeeds because of it.

This someone could be you.

Defaults are meant to be challenged.

You don’t have to play along. You could be the one who proves that there’s a better way.

Will you?

Keep lighting the path!

Your Words Shape the Future

Every word you speak is a choice.
A choice that shapes the future.

It influences what happens in the next moment.
But it can also have lasting impact.

Words can connect or push away.
Build trust or exploit it.
Invite or close the door.

What future du you want your words to shape for someone else today?

Keep lighting the path!

Presence changes everything

Presence in the moment is rare because it’s hard.

It means setting down the phone, silencing the noise, and giving someone your full attention.

Not just your ears, but your focus.

Without an agenda.
Just being present.

In that quiet openness,
people feel seen.

That’s magical.

Keep lighting the path in the New Year!

Long enough

A faint smile.
A fleeting expression.
A hesitation in their voice.

These tiny signals carry meaning.
But you’ll only catch it if you slow down enough to notice.

Move on too quickly, and you’ll never see it.

Today is perhaps a good day to practice this.

Deeper conversations

When you speak, what matters more:
Their admiration — or their trust?

A catchy phrase might impress someone for the moment.

But the best words don’t leave people impressed.
They leave people understood.

“Look at me” grabs the spotlight.
“I see you” turns it onto them. It invites connection.

Guess which one leads to a deeper conversation?

Now, what would change in your conversations if you prioritized connection over cleverness?

Keep lighting the path!

The invisible option

Just a reminder that in this season of rush, it’s always an option to slow down and pause.

A pause creates space.
For ourselves and for others.

What if you hit pause right now?

Keep lighting the path!

What does it mean to light the path?

Did you ever feel lonely “being at the top”, having to figure things out on your own? To plan every move, solve every problem, make every choice?

Many leaders believe their job is to have all those answers. But what if that belief is the very thing holding them back?

I’d argue the times are gone when being a leader meant having to be the one who has all the answers.

It’s not about leading the way anymore. Leadership is (slowly but clearly) moving from “leading the way” to “lighting the path” …

Making the destination unmistakably clear:
→ “This is where we’re headed.”

Explaining why it matters:
→ “This is why it’s worth the effort.”

And helping the team believe in themselves:
→ “You’ve got what it takes to get there.”

You’re not there to plan every detail. You’re not there to carry the weight alone.

Light the path. Give them the nudge they need to overcome hesitancy and rise to the challenge. But then, trust your team to figure out how to walk it.

When they succeed, it will feel like their success (but they’ll never forget who lit the way).

Keep lighting the path!

The uphill battle

From what I hear from my clients, many find persuasion to be like pushing a boulder uphill — difficult and often frustrating.

Convincing others of something they’re reluctant to accept can be very exhausting, especially when you have to watch the boulder slide back down with every counter-argument.

Some even give up altogether, hoping others will “get it” on their own (which, of course, they usually don’t).

But what if the uphill battle isn’t the problem?
What if the idea of the uphill battle is the problem?

The need to persuade implies resistance, making it an uphill battle by default.

But does it have to be?
What if you could bypass resistance?
What if there was a path that isn’t going uphill?

That’s what resonance is about.

→ Not a smarter way to get the boulder up the hill, but an entirely different path.

To resonate means finding the right slope where your message rolls effortlessly, naturally gaining momentum as it connects with the thoughts and ideas of others.

There’s no need to push uphill when you align with the natural flow of your audience’s values and interests.

Sure, it may lead somewhere unexpected, but when you think about it, this place is where it truly belongs.

Because that’s the beauty of it. When you’ve found that slope, the audience no longer feels it’s your idea that they have to accept. It becomes a shared idea.

And that is often a better, richer, and more impactful place than you ever imagined on your own.

Don’t persuade harder, resonate stronger!

What’s your approach to persuasion?

From should to would thinker

Almost everyone starts their sales and pitch stories from this simple question:

“Why should the customer choose us?”

It looks perfectly innocent. And it makes so much sense. Just list all the reasons why the customer should choose you and – boom – it’ll become perfectly obvious: they should definitely choose you.

But, here’s another question:

Why would they?

Notice how different this one feels?

Yes, sure, they should choose you, but why would they?

It’s a one-letter difference, but the answers you’ll get to this version, are so much more powerful.

→ It shifts the focus from your perspective to theirs.
→ It changes the posture from entitlement to empathy.
→ It transcends assumptions in order to arrive at understanding.

“Should” is the lazy approach that everyone takes.

It avoids facing the uncomfortable truths the “would” will surface. Truths like the gaps between what you offer and what they truly need. Or whether they even see the problem the product solves.

“Should” feels safe, but it stays in your world.
What you believe. What you value. What you assume.

“Would”, however, is curious.
It steps out of your world and into theirs.
It wonders about their struggles, their dreams, their reasons.

And when you think like that, something incredible happens:
You stop persuading.
And start resonating.

Most importantly, you’ll build something they want to say yes to — not because they should, but because they truly would.

That’s the kind of thinker who inspires action.
Who creates impact.
Who lights the path.

So, which type of thinker are you?

Keep lighting the path!

Spread the Word

Picture of Dr. Michael Gerharz

Dr. Michael Gerharz