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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 This edition of Inside Voice unpacks the illusion of investment, why systems matter, and how outdated tools quietly tax clarity, culture, and performance.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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Funny, Not Funny: The Lies of IC
Not every "feel-good" comms moment is a win. Some are performative at best, and harmful at worst. Let's talk about the internal comms lies we need to stop telling ourselves.

Debbie Braden
Aug 41 min read


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


August is the New January
August is for more than vacations. It's when savvy leaders start budgeting for what their teams actually need next year. Here's how to make your internal comms case now before planning season closes.

Debbie Braden
Jul 282 min read


What's Professional Now?
What's professional now? Let's talk about the messy, uncertain, and very real evolution of self-expression at work and what it means for leaders and communicators.

Debbie Braden
Jul 241 min read


Internal Comms is More Than a System to Document
If your internal comms system is treated like a filing cabinet, you've missed the point. Communication drives behavior, not just documentation.

Debbie Braden
Jul 142 min read


Who Owns the Employee Experience? Why It's Time to Get Clear
Everyone talks about employee experience like it's a shared responsibility. But when everyone owns it, no one really does. Here's why lack of clarity creates chaos and what to do about it.

Debbie Braden
Jul 101 min read


𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗜𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲
If internal communication isn't part of decision-making, it can't shape the narrative. It can only react to it. Learn how timing and influence go hand in hand and why comms must be embedded earlier to lead effectively.

Debbie Braden
Jul 81 min read


Where in Your 2026 Budget Are You Investing in Alignment?
Budget season is here. But are you investing in alignment or just communication activity? Before you finalize your 2026 plan, take a closer look at the hidden costs of misalignment and how to fix them.

Debbie Braden
Jul 71 min read


Why Your Internal Comms Lacks Strategy (and how structure plays a part)
Your internal comms might not be broken—it might just be boxed in. Explore how structure, reporting lines, and decision rights silently shape (and sometimes strangle) your ability to be strategic.

Debbie Braden
Jun 301 min read


Message Drift is a Strategy Risk
Clear communication doesn't happen by accident. When messages are tweaked, filtered, or reshaped as they move across teams, strategy suffers. Here's why message drift is more dangerous than you think... and what to do about it.

Debbie Braden
Jun 231 min read


If Internal Communication Is a Strategic Function, Why Aren’t We Setting Communicators Up to Succeed?
When internal communication is misaligned structurally, not just tactically, no amount of creativity or effort can fix it. This article explores how communication silos, poor reporting lines, and lack of decision-making access keep IC from being truly strategic.

Debbie Braden
Jun 184 min read


How Politics Seep Into the Workplace Even When You Try to Avoid It
You don't need to take a political stand, but pretending outside tensions don't exist only deepens employee mistrust. In this post, I share how to create space for uncertainty while staying grounded in your values.

Debbie Braden
Jun 92 min read


Misalignment Costs More Than You Think
When goals, messaging, and trust don't align, execution breaks down. Misalignment is more than a friction point. It's a cost center hiding in plain sight

Debbie Braden
Jun 31 min read
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