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The Link Between Language and Those Who Become Leaders
By Dianna Booher
The proper use of language and appropriate word choice plays a tremendous role in a person’s ability to lead and influence others. For a specific example of how language shapes thinking, you need only consider the current economic situation and the various terms for the recent legislation passed by Congress (“bailout plan” versus “workout plan” versus “rescue plan”) to understand how much language determines reactions.
The week Congress rejected the first “bailout” plan by the taxpayers, the airwaves buzzed with congressional leaders and business leaders trying to communicate their views to their constituents. Representative Ray Lahood had this to say: “I’m told that Secretary Paulson is a genius when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of this [situation], but …he’s not a genius when it comes to communication. And we need people to communicate.”
In a nutshell, poor written and oral communication can limit your social standing and stall your career—not to mention lose a sale, derail a project, or destroy a relationship.
But it doesn’t take a national financial crisis to prove the point. Let me explain in the words of a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, talking about one of his vice presidents about to be dismissed.
“Roger has to go. He’s just not the type we need around here. At the next rung of the ladder, these vice presidents will need to spend 90 percent of their time networking to bring in the big clients. They attend social functions, serve on community boards, entertain our biggest clients and their spouses for a week on a yacht in the Caribbean. Roger just doesn’t have what it takes at this level. His hair looks disheveled half the time, and his grammar grates on me. In fact, his wife is an embarrassment socially when she accompanies him to client functions because her grammar is even worse than his. They’re both college educated,…but he’s just not polished.”
Roger lost his job—not because of his technical skills, but because he refused to understand how much his language affected others’ perceptions of his capabilities and of him personally.
With that in mind, here are a few tips to consider when communicating to your employees, customers, and the public:
Avoid the Current Habit of “Verbing” Words
In case you haven’t noticed, several new words are trending into the vocabulary, many of them verbs. They are impacting the way we handle our clients, text-messaging our buddies, and even incenting our employees.
Managers become particularly adept at globalizing new trends and fast-tracking their way around obstacles like generally accepted grammar usage to gain competitive advantage. In fact, these managers often incentivise outstanding performers by complimenting them on their reports and proposals containing such usages. They often dialogue about important projects and hope the entire team nets the essentials.
Then whether downsized or right-sized, teams can strategize organizational initiatives, prioritize divisional goals, operationalize tactical plans, utilize their best resources, marginalize any deficiencies in their systems, institutionalize project outcomes, optimize their opportunities, mobilize human talent, and capitalize on their investments.
Enough said. Dump the doublespeak and jargon. Before you add an –ing or an –ize to a noun or coin a new word completely, consider checking the dictionary to see if a perfectly precise one already exists for the concept you want to convey.
Get the Grammar Right
Can you imagine reporting to the manager who sent out the following email?
Hi Team;
Just a quick up date. Wanted to let you know that the supplier, which we had chosen for the Universal project has declined to accept our contract terms. And the fact that we will be conducting another round of meetings to agree on a alternative vendor by the end of June. On another note you’re list of equipment, should be forwarded to me by May 5 however we may postpone budget discussions at the next staff meeting I’ll let you know by Tuesday.
Regards,
Dilbert
Embarrassing, isn’t it? Proper grammar is power to communicate clearly what you intend in order to influence people.
The importance of language to career and social standing is, with few exceptions, a universal issue. People from all cultures insist that proper language separates the wealthy from the poor, the educated from the uneducated—and most important of all––the leaders from the followers.
Frankly, bad grammar is like bad breath—even your best friends won’t tell you.
So if you want to check for a skills gap yourself, you can take a free online assessment at www.howsyourgrammar.com.
Your outcome and your ability to lead may depend on how well and how fast you rid yourself of the language barriers holding you back. Proper use of the language empowers leaders to communicate their vision and execute their plans like rocket engines propel a spaceship.
Track the Habit of Truth-Telling
Trust builds over time. It can be dashed in a flash. It repairs slowly. Not telling the truth proves stressful. Adding negative language ups the amps. Evasion and equivocation require even more energy. You have to remember what you said … to whom … during what time period. Then you have to wonder who heard it and how you phrased it, … worry what happens if someone else finds out, … and wonder who else actually understood it and read between the lines.
Every day we interact with bosses, customers, suppliers, coworkers, kids, spouses, or neighbors in sensitive situations with difficult questions. There are easy answers. And then there are truthful, more difficult answers.
Your power as a leader often depends on the choice between the two.
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Dianna Booher works with organizations to increase their productivity and effectiveness through better oral, written, interpersonal, and cross-functional communication. She is a keynote speaker and the author of more than 40 books (22 on communication) including The Voice of Authority, Booher's Rules of Business Grammar, Speak with Confidence, and Communicate with Confidence. Dianna is CEO of Booher Consultants, a communication training firm offering programs in presentations skills, business writing, and interpersonal communication. Successful Meetings magazine named her to its list of “21 Top Speakers for the 21st Century.” Executive Excellence Publishing also named Dianna to its “Top 100 Thought Leaders” and “Top 100 Minds on Personal Development.” Visit www.booher.com or call 800.342.6621.
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