The “sixth secret of winners’”is to communicate frequently and clearly.

One thing common to high performers, no matter what business, sport, or otherwise, is that they communicate a lot and communicate clearly. Communication is about much more than the flow of information to the comprehension of direction, expectations, and progress that occur around a project or task by all who are concerned with it. Communication for high performers is the cornerstone that connects goals, actions, and results.

The power of frequent, clear communication can be summed up through three core strategies that high performers master:

• One-minute goal summary is to be created.
• Also include in each message “what,” “why,” and “when”.
• Communicating progress regularly

One-Minute Goal Summary

But the high performer doesn’t just set goals; he simplifies them. And one of the best tools in his toolbox is one-minute ‘goal summary’: a tight summation that cuts to the heart of what any given activity or objective is all about.

This habit was further popularized by the late Kenneth Blanchard in his bestseller, The One Minute Manager. The basis of the one-minute goal summary is that clarity begets focus. Where in mere seconds, comprehension of the key message of a certain goal exists, execution then becomes more precise. It really forces the individual or the team to reduce the goals down to the very essence of what they are trying to achieve, which everyone has to be aware of.

Consider a project manager in a big organization, say TCS, India. Instead of burdening the team members with voluminous project documents, a high-impact leader at TCS would summarize on one page what the goal is, by when, and why. Such conciseness cuts down ambiguity and helps employees take responsibility for the full accomplishment of what should be done.

Including the “What,” “Why,” and “When”

One of the finest lessons in communication actually comes from the military, whereby precision and clarity could make all the difference between success and failure. It is within this context that the US Army has developed a framework called “Commander’s Intent,” which basically tries to answer three questions that are critical: what needs to be achieved, why it is important, and when it needs to happen.

Top performers in any industry have a similar approach to messaging. It means whether you speak at a team meeting, or write an email, or even give feedback, they have made sure the following three questions have been answered:

What: Which is the task or goal?

Why: Why is this activity or objective important?

When: What is due; what’s the timeline?

A real example of this is given by Ratan Tata, one of India’s most celebrated business leaders. When Tata launched the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, he clearly articulated the “what, why, and when”. The what: a $2,500 car; the why: making car ownership within reach of the masses; and the when: a tight launch schedule that fit market needs.

This clarity made sure that everyone was on the same page-mission-wise-from the engineers to the marketers.

This is similar to how Steve Jobs at Apple was well-known for giving his teams very clear direction. For example, in the case of developing the iPhone, Jobs gave clear messages about what the device would do-change the way people communicate-with why it was necessary-to remain competitive in the technology sector-and when it needed to be released to capture the right market moments. Being clear enabled his team to innovate under pressure but in tune with the business objectives of the company.

Communicate Progress Frequently

The best performers recognize that communication is not a point-in-time activity, but rather it is a process. Communicate the progress throughout the process regarding what is working properly and what isn’t. It keeps everyone informed, but most importantly, it creates special opportunities to attempt adjusting plans and expectations in real time.

One of the very interesting quotes which comes to mind is by the captain of the Indian cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-he is known the world over for his chilled persona and cool communication. Dhoni would be in the ground communicating with his players on a regular basis during a match because little bits of information kept on evolving and changing during the course of the game. In this way, he kept his team informed and aligned to win many international tournaments in India, including the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

Similarly, in the corporate world, companies which encourage frequent communication of progress achieve more participation and peak performance. For example, a successful sales team working for a noted international company like Infosys would ensure they keep their manager updated about where they stand individually in respect to meeting the quarterly targets. This continuous feedback loop helps the manager to extend support where required and ensures achievement of goals. In international settings, tech giants like Google and Amazon also believe in communicating progress frequently. At Google, employees follow “OKRs”-Objectives and Key Results-where employees keept updating their achievements of attained or unattained results against pre-set objectives. Keeping everybody informed about where they stand ensures that Google brings in an environment of accountability and complete transparency.

The Cost of Poor Communication

Poor communication can have colossal consequences. One can think of the infamous Mars Climate Orbiter mission where two NASA teams failed to communicate better and, as such, lost a spacecraft worth $125 million. The failure to clarify which system of measurement was to be used-metric versus imperial-ended in a horrifying failure. Such an extreme example, but it taught people that even tiny cases of miscommunication may lead to enormous delays and complications. Closer to home, one factor contributing to Kingfisher Airlines’ demise was a case of bad communication between captain and crew. Most employees were just not communicated the problems regarding the company’s finances and hence, it led to low morale, misaligned goals, and eventual collapse. Conclusion High performers also communicate a lot, clearly-the sixth quality-which proves to be an essential ingredient in their success. By creating concise summaries of goals, addressing the “what,” “why,” and “when,” and communicating progress regularly, high performers keep themselves and others on point. Whether you lead a global team at a multinational corporation or guide a small startup, mastery of these communications techniques will take your performance to a new level. As Ratan Tata once said, “If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together.” Effective communication is that glue which bridges the teams together to walk for a common vision.

Learn more about how to communicate better at: ORL Leadership Summit 2025.

Dr. Prahlada N.B
MBBS (JJMMC), MS (PGIMER, Chandigarh). 
MBA (BITS, Pilani), MHA, 
Executive Programme in Strategic Management (IIM, Lucknow)
Senior Management Programme in Healthcare Management (IIM, Kozhikode)
Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Leadership and Innovation (MIT, USA)
Advanced Certificate in AI for Digital Health and Imaging Program (IISc, Bengaluru). 

Senior Professor and former Head, 
Department of ENT-Head & Neck Surgery, Skull Base Surgery, Cochlear Implant Surgery. 
Basaveshwara Medical College & Hospital, Chitradurga, Karnataka, India. 

My Vision: I don’t want to be a genius.  I want to be a person with a bundle of experience. 

My Mission: Help others achieve their life’s objectives in my presence or absence!

My Values:  Creating value for others.