Why Brilliant Ideas Die in Board Rooms
- Lakshmi Ramachandran
- Nov 23, 2025
- 3 min read
Welcome to P.O.W.E.R UP (Brilliance to Influence) edition #13. This is a newsletter for leaders in science, technology, pharma, and biotech who want to turn expertise into influence, and ideas into impact.
“Your expertise may get you to the table, but what keeps you there is influence.”
Many brilliant ideas never make it past the boardroom because they’re presented as 'information' that people forget, not 'insights' that connect.
In science and technology, leaders often believe the strength of their data will speak for itself. It rarely does. Boards don’t make decisions on technical depth, but they make them on business outcomes.
You might be pitching a breakthrough in cell therapy, a novel drug target, or a new AI capability in diagnostic, but unless you connect that idea to what matters to the business (patients, profit, timelines, or competitive edge), it risks being ignored.
Why Smart Leaders Struggle
You’ve spent decades mastering science. But communication? That’s often learned through trial and error, or not at all. Here’s what I hear from senior leaders I coach:
I know my stuff, but I lose people in the details
I feel like I’m talking, but no one’s listening.
I second-guess myself in high-stakes moments.
Sound familiar? The problem isn’t you. It’s that no one taught you how to translate your expertise into influence. Technical brilliance without communication clarity is invisible leadership.
Influence in STEM Leadership
Influence as a leader in science and technology isn’t just about brilliance, it’s about:
Clarity: Can you distill complexity into insight?
Confidence: Do you own your message without apology and with conviction?
Connection: Do you make others feel heard and inspired to act?
When you master these three, your credibility transforms into impact.
The Framework: From Data to Decision
Here’s a structure - the 3-I Framework you could use for connecting data to business outcomes:
1️⃣ INSIGHT (not Information) Start with the “so what?” not the “what.”
❌ “Our Phase II trial showed a 23% improvement in efficacy markers…” ✅ “We’ve identified a pathway to reduce patient relapse by nearly a quarter, here’s what that means for our pipeline.”
2️⃣ IMPACT (not Process) Executives care about outcomes, not methodology.
❌ “We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled design with…” ✅ “This approach de-risks our timeline and positions us ahead of competitors.”
3️⃣ INVITATION (not Monologue) Engage, don’t lecture. Make it a conversation.
❌ “Any questions?” ✅ “What concerns should we address first to move this forward?”
Your Power-Up Action Plan
Before your next high-stakes meeting, ask yourself:
What’s the one insight I want them to remember?
What decision or action do I need from this conversation?
How can I invite collaboration, not just present information?
When you lead with clarity, confidence, and connection, you don’t just present data, you drive decisions.
Because in the end, the winner is the one that connects business outcomes to human understanding.
Across industries, we see what happens when communication and culture truly come together.
AstraZeneca shows how cross-functional collaboration between science and business fuels innovation. Novartis leads with its “unbossed” culture, encouraging openness, dialogue, and challenge. Roche continues to prove that clarity and compassion strengthen scientific storytelling.
Google's Project Aristotle reminds us that psychological safety, not IQ, drives team innovation and buy-in.
Closer to home, National University of Singapore and A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research show how scientists can bridge research and enterprise through stronger communication and collaboration.
Brilliant ideas thrive where people feel heard, valued, and inspired to contribute. ✨
📣 Follow me, Dr Lakshmi Ramachandran (PhD, PCC) for science-backed insights on how pharma, biotech, and healthcare leaders can communicate with impact, inspire buy-in, and transform brilliant ideas into lasting influence.
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