How words corrupt leader's productivity

"If thought corrupts language, language can corrupt thought." George Orwell

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Hi there,

One day, my manager's email hit my inbox: "I assigned to you a Conflict Management Training. Please make sure you attend." ?

My heart raced, filled with shame and anxiety. What did I do wrong??

The panic lasted until the training day, which turned out to be one of the best in my corporate career.?

The trainer never touched on conflict. The topic was the power of persuasion.?

Why did it trigger me??

???the why

In the?"Words Can Change Your Brain",?Dr Andrew Newberg explains,?"A single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress."?

In a?study involving?807 participants wearing?heart rate trackers, senior staff members were instructed to randomly say 16 common workplace phrases.?

???the how

"Deadline,"?"conflict" and "problem"?are common workplace terms. But all three can elevate stress and trigger fight-or-flight mode, impeding progress and?productivity.?

According to a Career Cast Job Stress Study Report,?30% ranked "deadlines" as the number 1?source of anxiety at work.?

Originating in the 1860s, "deadline" meant crossing a line risking being shot.? The brain is wired to safeguard you from danger. And it?makes no difference between a work deadline and an actual threat.?

Choose your words carefully.?Goal-oriented and solution focused language bring positive emotions, which in turn can boost your productivity by 12%.

???your results

In my 20's, coworkers often asked, "Why are you so negative?" But in my 30s, they asked, "How are you so positive?"?

What changed? I shifted from fear-inducing to positive, action-oriented language both at work and beyond.?

How? I replaced morning news with 1 Ted Talk a day.?

The outcome? Meeting?99% of target dates with inner peace.?

???bad busy traps

1. Time lost worrying

2.?Work related anxiety?

3. Overwhelming stress

4. Impaired decision-making

5. Unnecessary urgency and tasks

6. Procrastination on important tasks?

7. Negative impact on overall well-being

8.?Missed target dates due to heightened stress

???play of the week: use the power of words

This week play with words. Replace the most common 3 words inducing anxiety and slowing down your productivity at work with these examples:?

1. Deadline:?timeline, time frame, target date, deliverable date, completion date, due date.?

2. Conflict:?discussion, difference of opinion, opposite views, different perspectives.?

3. Problem/issue: situation, stumbling block, hiccup, dilemma, question, matter.?

Enjoy discovering the incredible power of words on your productivity! ?????

If you found this edition helpful, forward it to a friend or a colleague who could use a break from bad busy work. And grab The Good Busy Playbooks with my 5-minute video guides.

Thank you for reading?????

Enjoy getting good busy!

See you next Monday,

Kate

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