When leaders face confusion, resistance, or slow adoption, the instinctive response is almost always the same:

• communicate more

• communicate louder

• communicate more frequently

• communicate in different formats

But communication problems are rarely caused by a lack of communication.

They are caused by a lack of coherence.

Coherence is the structural alignment of goals, priorities, signals, expectations, and actions. When coherence is low, communication cannot succeed — no matter how well-crafted, frequent, or enthusiastic it is.

Because people don’t listen to messages in isolation. They interpret messages through the structure they work inside.

If the structure is incoherent, communication fails.

1. Communication is an interpretive act, not a transmission act

Leaders often think communication is about sending information.

But communication is actually about sensemaking — how people interpret what they hear.

Interpretation depends on:

• the clarity of priorities

• the consistency of signals

• the alignment of actions

• the predictability of decisions

• the level of trust in the system

When these elements are misaligned, people cannot make sense of the message — even if the message is perfectly written.

Communication doesn’t fail because people aren’t listening. It fails because the system doesn’t support interpretation.

2. When coherence is low, every message becomes ambiguous

Low coherence creates:

• mixed signals

• contradictory priorities

• inconsistent leadership behaviour

• unclear decision rights

• shifting expectations

• competing interpretations

In this environment, people don’t know which message to trust.

So they:

• hesitate

• delay

• second‑guess

• wait for clarity

• rely on informal networks

• create their own interpretations

This is not resistance. It’s structural confusion.

3. More communication increases noise, not clarity

When coherence is low, increasing communication actually makes things worse.

More messages = more contradictions More contradictions = more confusion More confusion = more drift More drift = more communication to compensate

It becomes a self‑reinforcing loop.

Leaders think they’re solving the problem by communicating more. But they’re amplifying the noise because the structure is misaligned.

4. People trust the system more than the message

When coherence is low, people don’t believe what leaders say — not because they’re cynical, but because the system contradicts the message.

For example:

• Leaders say “this is the top priority,” but the workload doesn’t change.

• Leaders say “we value collaboration,” but incentives reward individual output.

• Leaders say “we’re empowering teams,” but decisions remain centralised.

• Leaders say “we’re simplifying,” but processes become more complex.

The system always wins.

People trust what the structure does, not what leaders say.

5. Communication fails when the system sends stronger signals than the message

Every organisation has two communication channels:

1. The formal channel

Emails, town halls, presentations, updates.

2. The structural channel

Priorities, incentives, processes, decision pathways, workload.

When these channels align, communication is powerful. When they contradict, the structural channel overrides the formal one.

This is why communication fails when coherence is low: the structure is sending a different message.

6. Coherence is the foundation of sensemaking

Sensemaking requires:

• stable priorities

• consistent signals

• predictable decisions

• aligned leadership behaviour

• clear expectations

• manageable load

These are structural conditions.

When coherence is high, people can interpret messages quickly and accurately. When coherence is low, people cannot interpret messages at all — no matter how well they’re delivered.

7. How leaders can fix communication by fixing coherence

If leaders want communication to succeed, they must strengthen the structure that supports interpretation.

That means:

a) Aligning priorities

Remove contradictions. Make the hierarchy of importance explicit.

b) Reducing load

People can’t interpret messages when they’re overwhelmed.

c) Ensuring leadership consistency

Actions must match words.

d) Clarifying decision pathways

People need to know who decides what.

e) Strengthening trust signals

Predictability builds interpretive confidence.

f) Reducing drift

Fix misalignment early before it compounds.

g) Supporting Change Fitness

People with higher internal capacity interpret complexity more accurately.

When coherence rises, communication becomes effortless.

8. The leadership shift that changes everything

Leaders often believe communication is about:

• clarity

• persuasion

• messaging

• storytelling

But communication is actually about coherence.

When coherence is high:

• messages land

• people align

• decisions accelerate

• trust increases

• drift decreases

• readiness rises

When coherence is low, communication fails — even if the message is perfect.

The Bottom Line

Communication doesn’t fail because people aren’t listening. It fails because the system is incoherent.

If leaders want communication to work, they must stop trying to fix the message and start fixing the structure.

Because communication follows coherence. Interpretation follows structure. Alignment follows clarity. Readiness follows sensemaking.

And leadership, at its core, is the stewardship of coherence.