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Illustration for Riera's 'More Time' Plea: A Leadership Communication Fail
Source: Yahoo! News

Riera's 'More Time' Plea: A Leadership Communication Fail

Eamon Blackthorn
By Eamon Blackthorn Author of the best-selling book Say It Right Every Time
3 min read Workplace & Teams
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What Happened

Eintracht Frankfurt is in freefall. One point from four matches, capped by a loss at Borussia Dortmund, has the club in serious trouble. Manager Albert Riera is publicly asking for patience and more time to turn things around, while sporting director Markus Krösche has begun signaling, in the careful language executives use, that a separation may be coming.

This is exactly the kind of scenario I break down in Say It Right Every Time. The chapter on accountability language gives you a framework for replacing passive, time-buying phrases with forward-facing commitments that actually rebuild trust. The difference between sounding desperate and sounding decisive comes down to word order and specificity. Most people lead with their problem. Effective communicators lead with their next move.

Say It Right Every Time by Eamon Blackthorn

Never Be Lost
for Words Again

By Eamon Blackthorn

Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.

Go to Book PageFrom $9.97 USD
PaperbackHardcoverKindleAudiobook
Say It Right Every Time by Eamon Blackthorn

Never Be Lost
for Words Again

By Eamon Blackthorn

Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.

Go to Book PageFrom $9.97 USD
PaperbackHardcoverKindleAudiobook

Key Takeaway

Before your next high-stakes conversation where you need to buy time, write down one specific and visible action you will commit to taking before your next check-in. Then lead with that action, not with the request for patience. Do not say "I need more time." Say "By Thursday, I will have done X, and here is why that matters." Give them something to evaluate. That shifts the frame from waiting to watching.

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Illustration for Riera's 'More Time' Plea: A Leadership Communication Fail

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Riera's 'More Time' Plea: A Leadership Communication Fail

Eintracht Frankfurt is in freefall. One point from four matches, capped by a loss at Borussia Dortmund, has the club in serious trouble. Manager Albert Riera is publicly asking for patience and more time to turn things around, while sporting director Markus Krösche has begun signaling, in the careful language executives use, that a separation may be coming.

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