If you present to senior leadership like you present to your team you will fail.

Embrace these 3 mindsets to succeed:

1. Context is King

You live and breathe your work. Your leaders don’t.

Their minds are filled with priorities you may never think about.

Begin your presentation by highlighting why your work is valuable.

Try starting with these:

- "Today I'm presenting on . . ."

- "It matters because . . ."

- "By the end, you’ll understand . . ."

2. Help Solve Their Problems

You know what you need from the C-suite (budget, approval, alignment), but do you know what they need from you?

What keeps your senior leaders up at night? If you’re unsure, pay attention to what they talk about—likely things like reducing risk, securing funding, or meeting tight deadlines.

Show them how your work addresses their challenges.

Saying, "CDL319 is showing positive results" might get a nod.

But saying, "CDL319 is delivering the results our investors look for" will earn their focus.

3. Lead with Insights, Not Data

Senior leaders don’t invite you to present because they want a data dump.

I hear experts say all the time: “I just bring the data, and they can decide.”

Stop that.

They didn’t hire you to be a data courier—they hired you for your insights.

Leaders want your perspective. Your recommendations.

What would you decide if you were in their seat?

Share your insights, then back them up with the data. Be upfront about any uncertainties, too.

Any expert can dump data on leaders. But an expert who provides insight to leadership that moves the company forward?

Invaluable.