One Communication Shift That Transforms Results

By Azuka Onwuka

Across teams and organizations, most communication breakdowns come from one simple mindset:
“Who is right?”

Once that question is asked, ego walks in.
Defensiveness follows.
Lines harden.
Superiority games begin.
Decisions slow.
Progress stalls.

But leaders who consistently drive results simply replace “who” with “what”:
“What is right … in this context?”

This one shift changes how people listen, how teams collaborate, and how quickly solutions emerge.

But that is not surprising because it taps into organizational psychology and cognitive psychology. Even without studying these fields, if you pay attention to how human beings think, how they feel, why they act the way they do, and how internal and external factors shape those actions, you can replicate this anywhere with the same positive results.

Here are four perspectives that show why this works all the time:

1. The Story Perspective: When the Room Changes

Last month, I sat in a meeting that had reached a dead end. It was not because the issue on the table was complex. It was just that two key members of the team were engaging in a supremacy contest of "Who is right and who is wrong?"

They tried to use nice words to make things seem right, but it was obvious all was not well.

Tension rose.
People shifted in their seats and fiddled with their pens.
Nobody wanted to support one person and offend the other.

Then someone quietly asked:
“Before we continue, what outcome are we actually trying to achieve?”

It was as if someone opened a window and let wisdom in.
Calm flowed in and sat beside us.
People softened.
Arguments ceased.
The room moved from defending positions to solving problems.

A simple question realigned the conversation.

2. The Humorous Perspective: Workplaces Can Sound Like Sitcoms

Many workplace disagreements sound like this:

AJC: “I’m right.”
BDO: “No, I’m right.”
CTZ: “You’re both wrong … and I’ve brought facts and graphs to prove that.”

Meanwhile, the actual task is waiting patiently in the corner.

Humour exposes the truth:
When communication becomes a contest, progress disappears.
But the moment you ask,
“What is right in this situation?”
everything settles.
Egos shrink.
Clarity returns.

The team remembers the mission.

3. The Leadership Perspective: Principle Over Pride

Because strong leaders are primarily focused on moving the organization forward, they don’t communicate to win arguments.
They shift conversations from what makes them feel important to what delivers results.
They ask: “What is right for our mission, facts, and values?”

When leaders set this tone:
• Teams align more naturally
• Decisions come faster
• People feel respected and heard

Leadership delivers results when communication is guided by purpose rather than pride.

4. The Training Perspective: Teaching Teams to Collaborate

In corporate training, one of the simplest and most effective tools is this reframing:
Stop asking “Who is right?”
Start asking “What is right in this context?”

This consistently leads to:
• Less conflict
• Clearer thinking
• Better collaboration
• Faster results

It turns communication from emotional to objective, and from confrontational to solution-focused.

The Bottom Line

Communication improves when ego reduces.
Results improve when clarity increases.
And both start with one simple habit:
Ask the question that moves the goal forward -
“What is right in this context?”

It is the fastest way to transform conversations, decisions and outcomes.

#LeadershipDevelopment #EffectiveCommunication #DecisionMaking #WorkplaceExcellence #ResultsDriven #StrategicThinking
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