How to answer client questions with confidence

If a client pulled you aside today and asked, “What’s happening with my project?”—could you answer confidently, without flipping through a report or calling your team? In leadership, staying close to the numbers is important. But staying close to your clients is essential. Great leaders in technical industries don’t just know their financials. They know what matters to their clients, and they can speak to it with clarity, context, and confidence. That means being able to answer three core questions at any given time: >>> 1. What are we doing for this client right now? Not just the technical scope, but the problems we’re solving, the value we’re adding, and the commitments we’ve made. >>> 2. Where are the risks or pressure points? Knowing what’s keeping the client up at night, and what might cause delays, confusion or reputational impact if not managed properly. >>> 3. What are we doing to improve their experience? Whether it’s proactive communication, streamlining a process, or tailoring our service, the question isn’t just what we’re delivering—it’s how we’re making it feel better for them. In busy operations, it’s easy to let the client experience become “someone else’s department.” But the best client relationships are built when leadership takes ownership, when the people at the top are as tuned in to client outcomes as they are to internal performance. If you can’t answer those three questions today, it’s not about pointing fingers; it’s a prompt to lean in. Because when leaders lead with client focus, the whole organisation follows. What’s your strategy for staying client-close as a leader? I’d love to hear what’s working for you.