When companies undergo a major change, such as a CEO transition, reorganization, merger, or acquisition, most leaders default to one well-worn instinct: control the message. Lock down talking points. Tighten the language. Make it polished and official.
In working with executive teams across industries, from tech to retail, we’ve seen time and again that simply trying to control the message isn’t enough. In fact, it often has the opposite effect, creating more confusion and mistrust than clarity.
Because in every high-stakes moment, your audience—employees, customers, investors—is asking the same unspoken question: “What’s in it for me?”
And if you’re not answering it, someone else will.
Why WIIFM isn’t a selfish question
For years, the phrase “What’s in it for me?” (or WIIFM) has gotten a bad rap. Leaders dismiss it as self-centered or marketing fluff. Not a serious strategy.
But the opposite is true: WIIFM is one of the most powerful lenses available to a leader navigating complex change. It’s not about pandering. It’s about making strategy personal and anticipating needs. When people understand how a change will impact them, they’re far more likely to align with it, advocate for it, and stick around to help execute it.
WIIFM isn’t about promising perks or pay raises. It’s about translating organizational ambition into something timely and tangible for the people you need on board.
We’ve seen this across the board: in mergers and acquisitions where alignment felt impossible, in CEO transitions where trust was on the line, and in executive team restructurings where internal politics threatened progress. Leaders who start with WIIFM consistently build momentum, while those who skip it often lose the narrative . . . and the talent.
What happens when leaders skip the WIIFM moment
Not long ago, we worked with a company making an acquisition. The executive team was excited about the deal and confident about the shared mission, but in those critical first weeks after the announcement, they froze. Without all the answers in place, they waited to finalize every detail before they communicated anything to the acquired organization.
During that time, the acquired organization was left to speculate. Rumors flew. Teams filled in the blanks. Fear took over. By the time the executive team had the certainty the acquired company was looking for and formal messaging landed, it was too late. Some talent had moved on, and for the rest, they were left with months of unwinding the rumors and working from a deficit to rebuild trust.
We see this pattern again and again: silence creates space for confusion. In the absence of clarity, people default to self-protection and assume the worst. The longer the silence lingers, the further they go down the rabbit hole.
But when leaders show up early, even if all the answers aren’t yet clear, and acknowledge the WIIFM questions head-on, they build trust. As one client told us, “When you show your face, you get the benefit of the doubt.” By anticipating their needs, you can limit their anxieties and show that you considered how they may be impacted.
How to answer “What’s in it for me?” (without saying those exact words)
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about scripting new taglines. It’s about pausing to ask a better question before you write the message. Before announcing any change, take five minutes to ask:
- What might my audience be worried about right now?
- What might they hope this change will solve for them?
- What could this feel like from their seat?
As one senior leader we worked with put it: “People don’t expect their leaders to have all the answers—they expect presence. Leaders must be transparent, empathetic, and engaged in navigating change alongside their teams.”
One message, many audiences: How to stay consistent
One of the biggest hesitations we hear from executives is: How do I tailor the message without creating inconsistencies?
The answer is to identify a core message and then deliver it in audience-relevant language. Your strategy may not change, but the way you communicate it will. For example, your core message might be: “We’re evolving our structure to accelerate innovation.”
- For employees, that might sound like: “We’re investing in clearer roles and fewer bottlenecks so teams can move faster and focus more on the work that matters.”
- For customers: “This means quicker product releases, better service, and less lag time.”
- For investors: “We expect this change to improve speed-to-market and reduce operating inefficiencies.”
Each message serves the same strategy. But each audience hears what matters most to them. Four prompts to make it personal
We’ve developed four simple prompts that help leaders shift their communication from top-down announcements to audience-centered leadership:
- “What are they worried about losing?”
Security? Status? Control? Address it head-on. - “What might they gain?”
New opportunities, visibility, development, autonomy—spell it out. But don’t make any promises. - “What does this mean for them in the next 30, 60, 90 days?”
Use time as a grounding tool and a project management asset. This may present an opportunity to reengage with the audience after each benchmark. - “What will we be transparent about even if we don’t have all the answers yet?”
Uncertainty is okay. Silence is not.
These prompts do more than clarify the messaging. They help you show up as a leader who gets it and who doesn’t just recite vision statements but connects them to the lived realities.
Leading in the uncertainty gap
As leaders, we often feel the pressure to have everything figured out before we speak up. But that instinct is counterproductive.
Waiting for perfect information, especially in M&A scenarios, means you’ve already lost the room. As ProjectNext senior advisor Connie Rawson often reminds our clients, “Even saying, ‘We don’t have all the answers yet, but here’s what you can expect in the next 30 days,’ creates more stability than radio silence.”
Because the real risk isn’t in saying the wrong thing, it’s in saying nothing at all. In an era where trust is harder to earn and easier to lose, hierarchical authority doesn’t command unbridled loyalty the way it used to. People want clarity, connection, and honesty. They deserve it.
The good news? WIIFM isn’t just a tool for crisis moments. It’s a muscle you can build into your everyday leadership. When you consistently make strategy personal across teams, stakeholders, and situations, you don’t just manage change. You lead through it.
