What a note to the tooth fairy taught me about leadership communication

Our granddaughter has been losing teeth like most 6-year-olds do—one small milestone at a time. But this last one didn’t go as planned.

The tooth was gone… before the tooth fairy ever had a chance to show up.

That’s a full-blown crisis at 6 years old.

After a few tears, she did something simple—she wrote a note:

“Dear Tooth Fairy. I lost my tooth. Can you still visit?”

Two sentences. Three things most leaders struggle to do:

She told the story — “Here’s what happened.”

She took ownership — “I lost my tooth.”

She asked for clarity — “Can you still come?”

No overthinking.

No overexplaining.

No shifting blame.

And it made me wonder…How often do I complicate what should be simple?

Over explain or add more words

Lean on tools to make the message sound more polished

Or subtly shift the narrative to protect myself

When what people really need is clarity.

Here’s what I took away from that simple note:

Say what happened — clearly and directly

Own your part — without defensiveness

Ask for what you need — without hesitation

Maybe clarity isn’t about adding more… it’s about removing what’s unnecessary.

-Rusty Fulling

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