Leadership that resonates: bridging the gap between intention and impact
You are a leader. We love this for you.
Just to be clear, this means that you influence, inspire and guide others to achieve a goal or a mission. You also care about your team. You want to be clear, kind, inclusive, inspiring - and most of all, you want to make a difference.
While this sounds great, we have to point out a real challenge that we know leaders often face: there is a gap between what is intended and what team members experience.
Examples of this gap:
You might think you are being approachable, but your team experiences distance.
You believe you are championing inclusion, but some employees still feel unheard.
You are communicating strategy - yet your team is not clearer or more motivated by it
Just to reassure you, this gap isn’t about lack of effort or goodwill.
It’s about resonance. And resonance is what turns leadership from a title… into impact.
So what does ‘leadership that resonates’ actually look like?
It looks like:
✔️ Words match behaviours
✔️Clarity meets emotional intelligence
✔️Strategy meets authentic execution
And this is what happens: you unlock deeper psychological safety, collaboration and energy across your teams.
Hopefully, you are convinced and want to explore ways to connect intention with impact.
3 ways to bridge the gap between intention and impact
Below is what we discuss with the leaders we support and how we can help you close the gap:
1. Be as curious as you are clear about your intentions
Being a clear communicator is very important. Yet, it’s not just about what you say, it’s really about how it lands with others and how you make them feel.
Ask questions like:
‘What did you take away from our interaction?’
‘What can we improve our communication to make it feel more inclusive and useful to you?’
‘How can I support you better here?’
This kind of curiosity creates psychological safety. It also reveals whether your genuinely good intentions are being received in the way you hope they are.
2. Lead with self-awareness, not just strategy
Your team sees and can interpret everything - from your body language, tone, to even your stress. When leaders develop emotional intelligence - meaning the way they connect with their emotions and the way they express them - they become more attuned to how they are really showing up.
At High Fifteen, we coach leaders to do just that and more, namely:
Recognise their leadership style and strengths (and when they help or hinder them)
Understand how power dynamics affect team openness
Practise vulnerability that builds credibility
Because we believe that when you know yourself, you connect better with others.
3. Turn values into everyday behaviours
You have probably seen company values like integrity, innovation, or respect written on office walls or screensavers. That is fabulous, yet, for leadership to resonate, those values need to actually show up in daily moments.
Ask yourself:
What does respect look like in a team huddle/meeting?
What does equity look like in who gets stretch assignments?
What does collaboration look like when things go wrong?
We help leaders translate big values into small, consistent actions - the kind that build trust and high-performance cultures.
Why this matters now
We are in a work era where employees and leaders are asking for more:
More transparency
More meaning
More humanity
Not to sing kumbaya, but to achieve the best performance every day.
And the leaders who can contribute to delivering an inclusive workplace, are the ones who will retain great people, build thriving cultures and stay ahead of the curve.
It is not about being perfect.
It is about being present, accountable and willing to grow.
Want support in making your leadership truly resonate with others?
Whether you lead a team of 5 or 500, we would love to help you strengthen your impact.
Through coaching, workshops and experiential learning, High Fifteen helps leaders lead with clarity, connection and confidence.