The second clause is the leak.

A clean answer ends. A frayed answer adds. The frequency of your second clauses is the most accurate reading of where the pressure sits.

Watch the next clause.

When a senior leader is asked a hard question, listen for the comma. The comma is where the decision is made: end the answer, or extend it.

A leader who is settled ends. A leader under pressure extends. The pressure is rarely about the question. The pressure is about the leader’s relationship to having spoken.