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Why high performers make assertions
A 7-minute essay on the difference between an insight, a suggestion and an assertion, and why the last one moves work forward
Why it’s worth your time
Pointing something out is easy; saying what to do about it, and owning that call, is what tends to move work forward. Wes Kao, a coach and writer on executive communication, separates three ways people contribute: an insight, a suggestion that offers options and hands the choice to someone else, and an assertion you'll advocate and take responsibility for. It's a useful mirror for anyone who leaves meetings having said smart things that changed nothing.
How to make a recommendation and own it
The essay · 7 min · Free
How to get it
Opens their site. We don’t copy it here; we’d rather they get the read.
- Read the essay.
It opens with a story from early in her career, bringing trend observations to a senior merchant who kept asking what they should do about them. Read for the three parts of an assertion and the fill-in-the-blanks framework that follows, the most usable part.
- Turn one observation into an assertion.
Pick something you've noticed at work this week. Before you mention it, write what you noticed, what you think it means, what you'd recommend, why you think it'll work, and what you'll do if it doesn't. Then say or send that version.
Good moments for this: before a meeting where you'll weigh inwhen you've spotted a problemwhen you keep asking instead of answering
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Kao is clear that an assertion isn't a claim of certainty. Saying how sure you are, and what would change your mind, keeps a strong recommendation honest.
What might make this harder
Frame it as your read: from where I sit, this is what I'd try, though I may be missing context. That's still an assertion, offered with the humility your position calls for.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an insight, a suggestion and an assertion?
In Kao's terms, an insight points out something you noticed, a suggestion offers options and leaves the decision to someone else, and an assertion is a recommendation you believe in, will argue for and will take ownership of.
Do you need to be certain to make an assertion?
No. Kao argues assertions matter most in new, uncertain situations where nobody has the answer, as long as your language matches how sure you actually are.
How do I speak up with more confidence at work?
Bring a point of view along with the observation: your read on it, your recommendation and how you'd handle the risk. Even if people disagree, it gives them something concrete to respond to.
Who is Wes Kao?
A writer and coach on executive communication and managing up, who publishes a weekly newsletter and teaches a course for mid-career leaders.
What it says, and how it holds up
Early in her career, at Gap's headquarters, Wes Kao kept bringing a senior merchant careful observations about what was trending, and kept getting the same reply: so what should we do? She first published this essay in 2020 and updated it in 2025. The lesson took her years to absorb: an observation, however sharp, leaves all the deciding to someone else.
From there she defines the three levels. An insight shows you're paying attention, but nothing has to change. A suggestion offers options while keeping you off the hook. An assertion connects the dots, recommends a course of action and puts your name on it. Her fill-in-the-blanks template ends with what could go wrong and how you'd handle it, which is what makes a strong view responsible rather than reckless. She also makes a pointed case about AI: following clear instructions is the part of a job easiest to hand to software, and judgment is the part that isn't.
The essay spends little time on how role, power or background change the risk of speaking up. It's also a newsletter post with a pitch for her course alongside it, worth knowing as you read, though the idea stands on its own.
There are moments when a position is the wrong contribution: when the decision really isn't yours to shape, or when the room needs listening, as in a tense conflict. And if you already tend to commit too quickly, the useful practice may be the reverse, asking one more question before you decide.
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Picked by Truest and described in our own words. The original belongs to its creator. Last updated October 9, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.