Authentic communication from leadership remains essential for building trust, fostering alignment and establishing a healthy workplace culture. But as organizations expand, the personal connection employees once had with their leaders can easily get lost in the growth. Executives must intentionally prioritize consistent, authentic interactions with their teams to maintain and even strengthen that crucial connection.
Below, 16 members of Forbes Communications Council share their best strategies for keeping leadership voices personal, transparent and human, even as their organizations scale.
“One way to keep leadership human at scale is to remove the layers that turn leaders into a PR punchline. We built a culture where executives answer hard questions in the same space where employees meet, in plain language, without scripts or marcom mediation. People don’t want to hear C-suite spin; they want to see their leaders think in real time and provide relevant directives.” – Hope Frank, Gathid | Gathered Identities
1. Sharing Micro-Moments To Keep Communication Personal
Authentic communication scales when it’s personal, not polished. I coach leaders to share “micro-moments” of connection—short videos, voice notes or reflections that sound like them and show what they’re learning. Paired with a direct-line mindset, an always-open door, it reminds people they’re heard, even in the crowd. – Emily Burroughs, EB Connection
2. Using Livestreams To Foster Real-Time Connection
A great way for a leader to develop personal connections with large groups is through livestreams. Being in a live environment allows a leader to show up as their truest self and share what’s on their mind in real time. While virtual, this connection can feel more personal if the leader shares relevant and timely updates that help the team reach their goals. – Camille Weleschuk, ATB Financial
3. Making Leadership Visible In Everyday Conversations
To keep communication consistent across all levels of management, our leadership is present at all companywide meetings, contributing just like the rest of the team. From owners to executives to managers, they’re part of daily conversations—not just big announcements—which keeps their voices authentic, relatable and connected to the pulse of the company. – Regina Key, Destination Concepts inc
4. Creating Safe, Two-Way Spaces For Honest Dialogue
At our company, I focus on seeing the people in the room—literally and metaphorically. I stay curious, invite honest dialogue and create safe spaces where everyone’s voice matters. By using interactive moments and vulnerability as leadership tools, I ensure connection scales with growth—keeping communication authentic, human and two-way. – Jonas Barck, Mentimeter
5. Prioritizing Clarity And Context Over Charisma
I focus executives on clarity rather than charisma. We use a simple pattern: what we’re focused on, why it matters now and what employees should expect next. Clear, steady context feels more human than improvisation, and it scales without overwhelming people. This pattern protects attention. Predictability builds trust faster than personality. – Sarah Chambers, SC Strategic Communications
6. Designing Communication Systems That Scale Trust
Authenticity scales through the design of authenticity itself. We keep leadership voices real and human by designing how they communicate. Leaders regularly share decisions, context and reflections with openness, empathy and data. We measure trust through survey scores, sentiment analysis and behaviors like message adoption, active participation and honest feedback. That’s how trust scales. – Toby Wong, Toby Wong Consulting
7. Celebrating People Through Story-Driven Recognition
We keep leadership authentic by organizing healthy competition to highlight employee success. Instead of formal updates, our leaders share real stories that celebrate team achievements and personal growth. This approach builds trust, strengthens connections and reminds everyone that leadership values people, not just performance or numbers. – Lauren Parr, RepuGen
8. Humanizing Leadership With Purpose-Led Storytelling
We keep leadership human by sharing real stories from our patients and teams, through videos, town halls and internal spotlights. When leaders speak with compassion and connect purpose to people, not just performance, it reminds everyone that every voice—and every patient—matters. – Kal Gajraj, Ph.D., CAN Community Health
9. Co-Building Culture With Bottom-Up Participation
We started by refreshing our values by including people across teams, geographies and levels so everyone felt part of building our new culture together. Now, we’re launching a new intranet with a bottom-up approach, making space for all voices with more authentic messaging in a truly connected, social community. Innovation starts with building the foundational elements for more voices to be heard. – Natalie Silverman, GSCF, A Blackstone Portfolio Company
10. Removing Barriers Between Leaders And Employees
One way to keep leadership human at scale is to remove the layers that turn leaders into a PR punchline. We built a culture where executives answer hard questions in the same space where employees meet, in plain language, without scripts or marcom mediation. People don’t want to hear C-suite spin; they want to see their leaders think in real time and provide relevant directives. – Hope Frank, Gathid
11. Using Executive Blogs To Reduce Distance And Deepen Insight
We utilize personal blogs from executives distributed across internal company channels. These are frequent, written pieces focused on their own insights, strategic challenges they are wrestling with or reflections on the company culture. This approach works because a written format allows for deeper, more authentic reflection, reducing the perceived distance between the C-suite and the front lines. – Patrick Ward, Vanguard
12. Hosting Walkabouts And Office Hours To Build Presence
Prioritize executive walkabouts, holding monthly office hours in person and online across teams and time zones. Each session is open and unscripted, with clear follow-ups shared the same day. When leaders show up, listen and speak plainly, trust builds and people feel seen. – Marie O’Riordan
13. Embedding Two-Way Channels For Transparency And Feedback
Prioritize transparent, two-way channels to keep leaders connected to employees. Initiatives such as “ask me anything” sessions, live Q&As during company town halls and real-time feedback loops can ensure executives remain approachable and human, fostering trust and engagement. Leaders who build these practices into their daily habits won’t feel too busy for their greatest asset: their people. – Amber Micala Arnold, MikeWorldWide
14. Returning Leaders To The Room When Digital Falls Short
Some things just don’t scale, and that’s okay. As we’ve grown, we’ve made a point of bringing leaders back into real rooms with real people. Small, in-person sessions, regional meetups and hallway conversations do more to humanize leadership than any polished broadcast. – Paula Mantle, Branch
15. Sharing Real-Life Humanity To Build Relatable Leadership
Be authentic. As an executive, talking about your family and what you do outside of work makes you human. Being human creates a subtle bond that usually creates a positive work dynamic. – Brad Sivert, Tavant
16. Making Remote Culture Fun To Keep Leaders Connected
Being part of a remote workforce is tough, but there are ways to make it fun in today’s Zoom-driven world. Virtual happy hours, trivia contests and fun breaks can help leadership stay in touch and seem human. The constant interaction needs to be maintained, no matter how many employees you have. – Joe Ariganello, Veracode
