Words matter!
In my last blog I discussed How Do We Know When We’re There. How do you define “there”? It’s a word we all use, but it may mean different things to different people. “There” could look different to a leader than it does to a frontline employee.
This makes me think of other words, especially during this season. “Busy” is a word I’ve been hearing a lot. It’s the holidays, it’s busy. Work is busy. But what does that mean? Are we busy, or are we focused? Busy could mean that we’re overwhelmed. It could also mean that we’re productive, focused and making things happen.
As part of a growing organization, we have periods where people say, “It’s been hard.” We use that term a lot. The pandemic was hard. It’s true, it was. How long was it hard? When did it stop being hard? Eventually, we move past hard times or adjust to the new normal. “Intense” is another example of a word that could mean various things.
As leaders, our words matter; what you convey to your teams through your words has an impact. There are times when it’s intense, hard, busy, etc., but you can’t duck away during those periods. As I always say, lean into those difficult times.
With that being said, it can’t always be hard, busy or intense. Make sure to gut-check yourself and your keywords. How are you leading? How are you structuring your day or week? How do you get more balance?
During this holiday season and as we head into the new year, we all want to launch and get off to a good start. Here’s your reminder to reflect on your self-talk and the words you say to your teams. Words matter; define your keywords and set the standard as you move forward. What are your keywords?
