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You Don't Prioritize What You Don't Invest In
Every leader says communication is critical, but few invest in the systems that make it work. This edition of Inside Voice unpacks the illusion of investment, why systems matter, and how outdated tools quietly tax clarity, culture, and performance.

Debbie Braden
7 days ago2 min read
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The $1.2 Trillion Cost of Confusion
Miscommunication drains more time and costs U.S. businesses $1.2 trillion every year. This article explores why clarity is emerging as a critical leadership discipline and why the future C-Suite needs a Chief Clarity Officer.

Debbie Braden
Oct 63 min read
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Can People Endure Disruption Long Enough for Strategy to Pay Off?
Disruption isn't new—agility, adaptability, "do more with less" have been boardroom buzzwords for years. What's different now is the human toll. EY's 2025 CEO Outlook urges leaders to lean into disruption, but the real question is: can your people endure long enough for strategy to pay off?

Debbie Braden
Sep 303 min read
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What Gen Z Is Teaching Us at Work: The Risk of Getting It Wrong
Gen Z has grown up fluent in a language of skepticism—don't trust institutions, don't expect authority to have your back, and call out anything that feels fake. For leaders, the risk of getting it wrong is reputation, retention, talent pipeline, and long-term resilience.

Debbie Braden
Sep 223 min read
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The EX Tradeoff: What Companies Sacrifice When Employee Experience Comes Last
Leaders often say they want engaged employees, but their priorities tell a different story. When employee experience comes last, the cost shows up in culture, retention, and even customer experience. The EX Tradeoff explores new data and lessons from the field on what happens when organizations undervalue employees.

Debbie Braden
Sep 152 min read
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The Perfect Storm Part 3: The Empty Pipeline
The strongest surge of the Perfect Storm: the empty pipeline. When companies dismiss Gen Z as fragile or unready while pushing out experienced talent, they drain the very future of leadership and innovation.

Debbie Braden
Sep 84 min read
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The Perfect Storm Part 2: Quiet Cracking
Quiet quitting was a warning sign. Quiet cracking is the collapse. When pressure builds, employees don't just disengage—they break. Leaders who mistake silence for strength risk losing performance, trust, and people.

Debbie Braden
Sep 33 min read
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The Perfect Storm Part 1: The Great Flattening
Flattening organizations may look efficient on paper, but the hidden costs are steep. Leadership pipelines vanish, collaboration fractures, and employees carry heavier loads with less support. Without intentional communication, flattening erodes trust instead of building agility.

Debbie Braden
Aug 253 min read
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It Always Breaks Down in the Middle
Frontline breakdowns aren't caused by apathy. They're caused by gaps in design. When strategy doesn't make it all the way down through the organization, it's not a people problem. It's a signal that the communication cascade is broken.

Debbie Braden
Aug 181 min read
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Why Messages Break Down in the Middle
We tell ourselves: "They just need to hear it more than once." But for frontline teams already drowning in noise, repetition isn't clarity. It's code for optional. And that's the moment strategy dies on the vine.

Debbie Braden
Aug 112 min read
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Is This Really Progress?
How you treat people is your employer brand. That's true whether you're scaling, merging, restructuring, or just going through the day-to-day grind.

Debbie Braden
Jul 312 min read
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