Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me
Marci Marra
Retired Management Consultant. New chapter: Helping knitters live a life filled with joy through modern and timeless knit designs.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hurt plenty of times by name calling, a mean word can truly cause physical pain.
We text, we tweet, we use emojis, all in an effort to communicate quickly, modern shorthand, making words less important, something we are careless with and quickly discard and forget. But are they really forgotten? As leaders words are our tools. They breathe life into our ideas and motivate people to action. Words are how we win hearts and minds and open doors to change. Used incorrectly words can also destroy.
Back to the question, are they really forgotten? No, a leader’s words have a lasting effect as they shape thought patterns, emotions, and experiences. Their influence is enormous.
Effective and transformational leaders recognize the impact of their words. Your words, can be the differentiator between encouraging success in a person or planting self-doubt and failure in the mind of another.
I’ve seen my share of leaders over the years that felt the best way to influence people was through criticism, threats and negative words. They had the mindset that pushing the extreme makes people respond better, which may be true for some, but it is a response often out of fear.
On the flip side, there are leaders who are able to influence harmoniously towards exceptional results through words of affirmation and positivity.
Whether it is to motivate, engage, or build high-performing teams, your words carry a weight of influence. Therefore, choosing to use words wisely is not an option.
Kind words promote unity amongst people and have the ability to inspire others to propel change that they aspire to make.
When employees understand that their values are aligned with the organizational vision and mission, they automatically become part of the story.
Their shared experience gives them a personal story to tell. Their story becomes an inspiration to others and they become a part of an organization’s narrative. They are no longer observers, but active participants.
Therefore, words of criticism, marginalization, and threats should be replaced with words of encouragement, wisdom and grace.
When a true leader speaks, the true intention is not to dictate or control, but to inspire, serve and support the people. It takes humility and heart.