FORBES, FEATURED
This article was originally published on Forbes.com on October 1, 2025
The leaders who connect best are those who share who they are in a way that also advances their organization’s mission. Below, the members of Forbes Communications Council offer some strategies to help you find that balance and strengthen your voice.
OUR TAKE:
14. Have A Comfortable Forum For Speaking Candidly
The C-suite needs to be out in front to give the company an authentic voice to connect with others. That level of responsibility puts pressure on them to say the right thing, at the right time—all the time. Executives, like most people, have their own personalities and values. They benefit from a comfortable forum to be unfiltered. Only then will the unique perspective come through. - Rachel Kule, Pursuit PR
FULL ARTICLE:
As a leader, your voice carries weight, but what makes it truly resonate is the balance between being authentically yourself and representing your organization well. People want to hear your perspective, your stories and even your imperfections, yet they also look to you for consistency, clarity and alignment with company values.
The leaders who connect best are those who share who they are in a way that also advances their organization’s mission. Below, the members of Forbes Communications Council offer some strategies to help you find that balance and strengthen your voice.
1. Identify Fixed Norms And Spaces To Share Lived Experiences
Atypical leaders can practice adaptive authenticity. It’s important to read the room and know which norms are fixed and find the space to share lived experiences. Even when those experiences carry pain, showing them reveals vulnerability and humanity, which builds trust and empathy. Those who stand out aren't performing—they're grounded and lead by their values. - Michelle Wicmandy
2. Demonstrate Your Values Publicly And Privately
In a word: integrity. Do you demonstrate who you are—your values—through action in public-facing arenas and when no one is looking? How a leader's voice resonates is less about balancing authenticity with corporate positioning, and more about how a leader chooses to align their words and actions with the goals, objectives and actions of the organization. Actions always speak louder than words. - Scott Anderson
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
3. Align Firsthand Insight With Corporate Purpose
A leader’s voice resonates when they share real lessons from their own growth, like overcoming setbacks or scaling with limited resources. It becomes more compelling when they connect those experiences to how the company empowers customers to overcome similar challenges. By aligning firsthand insight with corporate purpose, leaders create a voice that is both human and strategically relevant. - Lisa Maynard, Awin
4. Practice Empathy
Being personable and empathetic makes people feel more comfortable, as it shows you understand their perspective and are communicating with them, not at them. A leader who takes the time to interact with employees and truly listens to them to understand their needs and make things happen goes a long way. - Joe Ariganello, Veracode
5. Keep Your Voice Consistent Across Channels
A leader’s voice resonates when it stays consistent across channels. People expect the same tone in town halls, emails or social media. Leaders can be authentic while aligning with corporate positioning by grounding messages in company values yet speaking in their own words. This consistency builds trust, showing employees and stakeholders that the message and the messenger are one. - Lauren Parr, RepuGen
6. Use Your Personal Lens To Sharpen Your Company's Message
A leader’s voice stands out when it doesn’t sound like it was written by a committee. People don’t connect with platitudes—they connect with a real point of view that’s rooted in lived experience. The trick is to let your personal lens sharpen your company’s purpose. Show you're human and share the tension you’re navigating. - Colby Proffitt, Carbyne
7. Use Storytelling To Make The Abstract Tangible
Today’s teams crave leaders who are human, anchored and purposeful, but also decisive and visionary. Leaders don’t shy away from vulnerability or complexity. Their voice is most powerful when it reflects both strength and empathy. Leaders use storytelling as the bridge to help turn abstract values into relatable experiences and transform strategy into something people can feel and act on. - Natalie Silverman, GSCF, A Blackstone Portfolio Company
8. Be Credible, Consistent And Authentic
In today's world, it's increasingly difficult to discern information from disinformation. The most resonant leaders earn their audience’s trust by being credible, consistent and authentic. Whether she is speaking for herself or her company, a leader's voice stands out both in what she says and how she delivers it: backed by data, expressed clearly and marked by vulnerability. - Rekha Thomas, Path Forward Marketing
9. Blend Transparency And Steadiness With Humility
A leader’s voice resonates when it blends transparency, humility and steadiness. Authenticity means saying the right things—clearly and consistently—while showing humanity without oversharing. Leaders who admit mistakes, share reasoning and act with care create trust, safety and clarity that employees can rally behind. - John Schneider, Betterworks
10. Ground Your Voice In Realism And Action
A leader’s voice resonates when it is grounded in realism and backed by actions. Balancing authenticity with corporate positioning means being clear about business goals while showing a genuine commitment to people and communities, ensuring profit and purpose move forward together. - Marie O'Riordan
11. Allow Yourself To Be Imperfect
The strongest thing a leader can do to resonate with others is to be vulnerable and stop trying to be perfect. When we see perfect leaders with perfect careers who always know the perfect thing to do, that doesn't resonate because no one is perfect. We're all human. A leader who can learn with their team is one who will grow with their team and is worth following. - Melanie Draheim, Fox Communities Credit Union
12. Share Challenges, Credit And Conviction
An important factor is clarity of purpose grounded in authenticity. Leaders who can articulate why they do what they do, in a way that aligns both with their personal values and their organization’s mission, cut through the noise. People are drawn to voices that sound human, acknowledge challenges, share credit generously and convey conviction without slipping into self-promotion. - Kurt Allen, Notre Dame de Namur University
13. Discuss Personal Experiences In The Context Of Your Mission
I believe a leader’s voice resonates most when speaking from personal experience. I share real stories from the heart, then refer to them in the context of our mission. To me, this balance builds trust, shows purpose and keeps my voice honest and on point. - Rich Bornstein, Bornstein Media
14. Have A Comfortable Forum For Speaking Candidly
The C-suite needs to be out in front to give the company an authentic voice to connect with others. That level of responsibility puts pressure on them to say the right thing, at the right time—all the time. Executives, like most people, have their own personalities and values. They benefit from a comfortable forum to be unfiltered. Only then will the unique perspective come through. - Rachel Kule, Pursuit PR
15. Avoid Mimicking Your Brand's Voice
A leader’s voice cuts through when it’s not trying to mimic the brand, but instead acts as a tuning fork for its deeper frequency. When the message sounds too rehearsed, too aligned, it evaporates. But when the tension between personal truth and brand stance is allowed to breathe, it creates a voice you want to follow because it risks being real. - Cade Collister, Metova
16. Share A Clear Point Of View And Real Audience Challenges
Resonance comes from clarity plus humanity. Leaders who share a clear point of view while acknowledging the real challenges their audiences face earn trust. The balance lies in aligning personal authenticity with company values; when both voices reinforce each other, the message feels credible and consistent. - Cody Gillund, Grounded Growth Studio
17. Incorporate Shared Personal And Professional Values In Thought Leadership
In a world of AI and fake online personas, authenticity is crucial. People want you to be you, but when you’re representing your company, you have to be cognizant that your professional persona also aligns with your organization's values and positioning. To balance the two, determine which values overlap and be intentional about how you incorporate them in your thought leadership. - John Jorgenson, Cambium Learning Group