To be heard, leadership statements must represent your organization's vision, mission, and values to your audience — not your ego. Your communications are phrased in ways that are meaningful to the audience. When you talk, you are expressing your individuality without drawing undue attention to yourself. You are also giving your audience information they can use or reject as they see fit. A leadership message articulates what an organization stands for and how it intends to get there. It may describe a new strategy for success or simply honor someone who has done good work for the company. Whatever the case, every communication an organization sends out tells a little story about that group. This means that every email, tweet, and memo releases energy and emotion around the company culture. As leaders, it is our job to make sure these stories are positive ones. If we say one thing but do another, we risk sending the wrong message. We need to be careful not to spread gossip, undermine others, or speak negatively about people outside of work. These behaviors are all forms of dishonesty that will never help us achieve our goals nor earn the trust of our employees. It is also important to note that some stories are told better through written words rather than spoken ones. This is particularly true if you want to include details about what happened behind the scenes.