THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP
Let’s play the game - The Language of Leadership - what word beginning with A do you associate with Leadership?
A few years ago, I created an exercise game for a leadership program with the purpose to help change the pace, foster a fun team feeling, and importantly, to encourage the participants to think more broadly about their use of language which promoted their leadership.
Little did I realize that it would work a treat, a little bit of competitiveness is a good thing and it helped me broaden my understanding of what people considered important in leadership.
Join me during October as I play this game with you!
The rules are simple: with your allocated letter of the alphabet, think of, record and provide some reasoning of how/why/what/when your word relates to leadership.
Given it’s the first day of the month, let’s begin with the first letter of the alphabet = A.
image - descriptivewords.org
My first three A words in my leadership language are:
Action
Leaders create action. This is propelled if you demonstrate the action, encourage the action and acknowledge the outcome of the action. Success or failure.
Too often we consume more time talking about the action, rather than performing the action.
Leaders who influence and inspire others will create followers to perform the action. Full Stop!
Assumption
We know the saying – if we assume, it makes an ass out of you and me!
Assumptions can be blamed for many relationship tragedies. By omitting necessary conversations, we are doomed for failure.
When we view or hear something, in a split second we have an emotional reaction which triggers a feeling which creates a belief and quite possibly distorts any resemblance of the facts. This occurs every day in our life.
Asking clarifying questions can confirm or negate the assumption.
Attitude
Our attitude is how we express our thoughts or feelings – we hear this in our words and in our body’s posture. It can also be the position we take on a matter. This is powerful in leadership.
We can influence people’s attitude when they can experience the outcome and impact of actions which differ to what they expected.
We can change our own attitude by telling ourselves that we are going to have a productive and effective workday or meeting; we can trick our brain into believing that this will occur. (I use affirmations daily.)
As a leader, you make the choice about your attitude and you can influence the consequence this has on the people you are working with in business (and your greater circle of influence.)
PLAY THE GAME: what word beginning with A is important in your leadership?