Management = Communication
“Hands down, if I could inculcate my sons in any…skill, it would be storytelling.”
- Scott Galloway
One of the best pieces of advice for anyone early in their career is rather simple: get really good at something.
When you’re just starting out in any job, you should focus on developing deep expertise in your field, build up your credibility and tangible contribution, and establish yourself as someone with domain knowledge.
And for most of us, this is how our careers start—with a specific, valuable skill.
What we don’t tell young leaders, is that this same focus on specific skills is the exact same thing that will hinder your career as you increase your scope and get promoted.
The higher you climb, the more success depends on something entirely new to the developing professional: the ability to effectively communicate. And if you don’t recognize this shift early, you’ll hit a professional ceiling.
The Peter Principle, coined by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, describes a common corporate paradox: people are promoted based on their past success—until they reach a role where they’re no longer effective.
Most people are familiar with this idea, but the thread that runs through the Peter Principle is the idea that what blocks people are soft skills — the ability to translate their tangible skills into less tangible interpersonal talents.
A brilliant engineer gets promoted to team lead, but now they struggle with motivating frontline employees.
A top-performing salesperson moves into management, but they don’t know how to coach their team on talking to potential customers.
A whiz financial analyst who could model complex scenarios in their sleep now finds themselves in strategy sessions, unable to explain their forecasting methods.
Management is Communication
Most new managers think their job is about checklists, reports, and making sure tasks get done. Those things matter, but they’re not the job. Our main purpose is to influence people, set direction, and get the best out of a team.
And all of that requires effective communication skills.
Persuading leadership to approve your team’s initiatives
Giving feedback in a way that actually changes behavior
Navigating office politics and advocating for your team
Explaining complex ideas in a way that aligns everyone
Setting a direction that people want to follow
Great management isn’t about control—it’s about orchestration. It’s the ability to integrate diverse ideas, navigate contradictions, negotiate tensions, and manage egos without losing momentum. The best managers don’t just juggle tasks; they bridge the gap between the work that needs to get done and the people who make it happen.
You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room anymore—you need to be the clearest. The one who can cut through noise, align people, and drive action.
So if you’re an ambitious professional wanting to get further on your leadership journey, ask yourself:
Can I explain unpopular ideas in a way that persuades others?
Can I give tough feedback without damaging relationships?
Can I take complex ideas and simplify them in a way that most people can understand?
These are the attributes that determine whether your career continues to rise or stall out. Career growth isn’t just about accumulating knowledge; it’s about learning to convey it effectively to the broadest audience.
So yes, if you want to become a great contributor, learn to be the best at something. But if you want to become a great leader, learn to be the best at communicating it.
Good luck out there.
-Patrick