Great bank leaders keep communication simple

As a general rule, when citing a quote to a group, few people carry the gravitas of Albert Einstein. In fact, I’ve often placed a picture of Einstein on a slide while sharing a relevant quote.

Only after giving it a moment to sink in do I have the picture transform into the actual author — whether it’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Joe Rogan or someone else entirely. I then joke, as people laugh, that it’s funny how they were completely on board when they thought Einstein said it.

That said, there are two actual Einstein quotes I’m fond of sharing with bank leaders, which I believe offer powerful management advice, even though his original audience was different.

The first is, “The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.”

I’ve always appreciated this statement because it reminds me of how often I’ve been in meetings or at conferences, wondering if the speaker was being intentionally opaque.

Why use simple, easily understood language when you can show off with big words or technical jargon that the audience may not recognize?

As a result, the audience ends up burning extra mental energy just trying to follow along.

But the ability to simplify complex ideas for others — whether employees or customers — is a hallmark of great leadership.

Too often, a leader will waste time on issues that hold little relevance for the audience.

While I’m a strong advocate for always explaining the “why” behind the tasks we assign to our teams, it’s crucial that people feel your words are personally relevant.

Effective communication involves tying the information to the audience — whether it’s a large crowd at a gathering or a single individual in the workplace.

Instead of delivering clear, actionable insights, poorly prepared leaders often leave their audience feeling more disconnected from the information than before.

The other Einstein quote I’m fond of is in the same vein. He said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

Now, sure, easy for him to say — there were few subjects in his fields of expertise that he didn’t know well enough to explain simply.

But I like the emphasis this statement places not just on knowing something, but on being capable of teaching it to someone else.

Most of us have experienced situations where someone who was highly competent and proficient at something still struggled to explain it clearly. Often, they know it so well that they operate on autopilot, no longer needing to consciously think about what comes next or why it does.

The most respected senior leaders I’ve seen address their teams over the years tend to keep things simple when communicating.

I have a theory that once people reach a point where their leadership, qualifications, mastery and status are unquestioned, there’s little need to impress with verbosity. (For instance, they would likely never use the word “verbosity.”)

They also tend to have a strong sense of their audience and what is relevant to them.

Now, sure, if your boss is on stage, at the meeting table with you or even on the phone, whatever they choose to talk about is technically relevant — if for no other reason than that conscientious employees pay attention to their leaders.

But leaders who show respect by focusing on topics clearly relevant to their audience earn greater attention and respect in return. That doesn’t mean that “big picture” and “30,000 foot-view” monologues have no place. However, people disengage when they can’t see the personal or professional relevance of what’s being shared.

Leadership isn’t about sounding smart; it’s about making others feel a little smarter for having listened.

Great leaders know that their role isn’t just to acquire knowledge, but to share it in a way that engages and empowers their teams.

When you can simplify complex issues and tie them directly to what matters to your employees, you create clarity, alignment and momentum.

The most respected leaders — from branch managers to CEOs — speak plainly and focus on relevance. They aren’t focused on impressing as much as on connecting.

The next time you prepare for a meeting, a presentation or even a casual team discussion, ask yourself: Is this information clear and easy to follow? Why does this matter to my audience? Am I empowering people to take action, or just filling time?

Because at the end of the day, the leaders who make the most impact aren’t the ones who talk the most or use the most complex terms.

They’re the ones who help others understand the most.

And that’s a kind of genius in itself.