Why perfection no longer matters

by Charlotte Otter:

Of the many lessons from last year’s elections around the world, the most notable was the very public failure of perfect, scripted, ideal messaging. If anything, messiness, personality and something that can be read as authentic – whether it’s an authenticity that appeals to you or not – won.

It’s ironic that just as all the AI tools we have at our fingertips can spit out something that perfectly apes our style, tone and brand, our appetites have shifted towards communication that is much more real and messy.

What is happening?

These are the factors at play: changing leadership demographics and style, the rise of alternative media and influencer culture, a rejection of corporate jargon and a hunger for more human connection.

Old-school, top-down leadership communication is becoming extinct as the top layer of leadership age out. Boomers and Gen X are being replaced in organizations by millennial leaders who grew up in digital and who have an appetite to be transformational. (Arguably, Gen X leaders have some digital facility, but as the smallest generation, they remain torn between past, present and future. I should know. I am one.)

The top layer of corporate leadership is also arguably white and male. This is a cohort of leaders who have cherished leadership polish and perfection. They have erred towards a masculine, powerful leadership archetype that brooks no failure and avoids vulnerability. This kind of perfection sets leaders apart and creates firm boundaries between themselves and their audiences.

As a new generation of leaders breaks through, they are going to be far more comfortable with being authentic, speaking without scripts, embracing a certain kind of realness and being vulnerable.

Alternative media

As trust in traditional media declines, more people have turned to podcasts, bloggers and other forms of social media for their news and opinions. Some say that appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast won Donald Trump the election. Stephen Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO passed 50 million downloads/streams in one month in December 2024. Recent research shows that over 135 million Americans listen to at least one podcast every month. Podcasters and influencers are the new opinion-makers. Audiences have grown used to a more freewheeling, loose, opinionated style of communication that they’ve seen on TikTok and Instagram – this is more likely to appeal to them than wordy op-eds. Even if the content is untrue (this happens), the style reads as authentic and real.

Hunger for connection

Digital has changed us. We become ever more atomized and there is a loneliness epidemic. It is the conundrum of our times that lonely people on their smartphones crave human connection – and use the agents of their loneliness (their phones) to try to seek more. And leaders who try to establish connection with their employees, customers, investors and the general public using empty corporate jargon and tired phrases will not be heard. The bland phrases of AI won’t help either.

What does this mean for heads of communication or marketing?

It’s time for executives and leaders to develop the confidence show their humanity. Heads of communication will need to become coaches to help them develop this. Some leaders are naturals and need no coaching, but others – especially those from the Gen X borderlands – will need to learn to open up and be more human. This includes: having some spiky and interesting opinions, dabbling in one-take video, experimenting with giving a keynote without word-for-word teleprompting.

Some will have too much fear to change, and their bland prognostications will be lost in the morass of AI bilgewater.

Leaders who are prepared to change, who wish to be heard, and who are happy to show up as themselves will lean on their head of communication or marketing for guidance and direction. In my forthcoming book We Need New Leaders, I have an interview with the president in a software company, who says it was very important for her to be seen and known as a whole person. She says ‘the more of a leadership role you have, the bigger the set of audiences that are watching you, it’s important that you don’t just try to develop a persona but that you remind everyone yourself included, of the humanity of it all. You can be very smart and powerful and also a little bit of a hot mess and have bad days, and that retains the connective tissue with the people you’re leading. I care about people seeing me as a full human not as just an archetype.’

This is important: being the human you are as a leader creates connective tissue with the people you’re leading. This is much more effective than being as perfect and polished as a product or brand. We are not products; we are people. And in a world where leaders are helping their employees and customers navigate never-ending waves of change, the more human they are, the more likely they are to inspire and create engagement.

2025 – Replacing perfection

Corporate leaders are competing with endless stories, videos and podcasts on dozens of platforms. They’re competing with other leaders who’ve bought or created those platforms. For their companies to shine, to get the media attention and headlines they believe they desire, they will need to stand out. They should work closely with their head of communication or marketing to develop a series of opinions and stories that shine a light on the business and the products and services they are trying to sell. Being human, real, authentic – and even slightly messy – is the first step to building connection and genuine engagement.

+++

Charlotte Otter is an author, speaker and communications advisor. Her new book We Need New Leaders is published by Practical Inspiration Publishing in June 2025. Charlotte’s newsletter Speech Bubbles is published on Substack and you can reach her on LinkedIn or via her website.

Written by: Editor