“Leadership is Language”
<p>You may not think much of using terms like “resources” rather than “people” or “I” vs “we” but at a subconscious level these words start to infiltrate our minds. For both the person using them and those hearing it.</p>
<p>Perhaps you’re thinking, ‘I have tough skin’ or ‘I don’t mind when people use these terms’ but even if that’s true, that’s not the case for everyone and it sets a tone. It influences the fabric of culture.</p>
<p>As the old adage goes: <em>“‘Watch your thoughts, as they become your words; watch your words, as they become your actions.”</em></p>
<h1>Choose your words wisely</h1>
<p>A great exercise you can do here, which I’ve done personally and regularly when I work with leaders, is to create a ‘green vs red list’.</p>
<p>The idea being:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Red list</strong> = words you will agree to use less often</li>
<li><strong>Green list</strong> = words you will try to use more often</li>
</ul>
<p><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/0*dYz4usC1cFqU8Ycg.jpeg" style="height:1057px; width:700px" /></p>
<p>Photo of a ‘red’ and ‘green’ list that my colleague Stephen and I created with the leadership team we were working with at the time.</p>
<p>Create this list, put it up on the wall and make a committed to change the way you speak.</p>
<p>This is exactly what this leadership team did (pic above). They made it visible for everyone to see and held each other accountable to it.</p>
<p><a href="https://antmurphy.medium.com/leadership-is-language-144c8bdc7467"><strong>Visit Now</strong></a></p>