Language of Leadership

Last weekend, I was in Penang attending the Toastmasters District 51 annual convention, I met many toastmasters leaders from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Canada and Taiwan. We discussed about the language of leadership and how it can impact our working environment.

World-class leaders stand out because of who they are as well as what they do. They embody, demonstrate and evoke the qualities that Kathleen Spike recently portrayed: vision, purpose, values, confidence, authenticity, integrity, commitment, inspiration, results, truth, trust, compassion and choice.

In addition, and possibly above all else, consummate leaders distinguish themselves by HOW they do so. They apply the power of intentionality.

They CONSCIOUSLY COMMUNICATE these qualities in their lives and their environments. Through their actions and their very way of being, they intentionally model what they want to call forth in those they lead. For example, they not only ACT in a visionary and purposeful way; they actually EMANATE a sense of vision and purpose as well. Think of Gandhi or Churchill or the CEOs of Hewlett Packard and other cutting-edge companies.

Skilled leaders know that they convey these qualities largely through HOW they language themselves. They avoid taking language for granted. They recognize and use the creative and transformative powers of their language behavior.

They seize opportunities to create what they desire through their language.
So let's look at how skilled leaders consciously communicate the three Cs from the list above: Clarity, Compassion and Choice.

LANGUAGE CLARITY
Consummate conscious communicators language themselves accurately, specifically, and distinctly, avoiding assumptions. Here's how some unconscious language patterns can be reformulated more consciously.
• I'm here to serve the company. I'm here to assure that each employee gets the support s/he needs to contribute full-out to reaching the company's goals.
• Everyone needs to perform full out.
o How can you each contribute your very best?
o Yeah, we're kind of shy of our goal.
o We're 17% short of our goal of $1.5 million.
• We all know what to do to succeed.
o What will it take for us to succeed?


LANGUAGE CHOICE
Consummate conscious communicators language themselves in a way that highlights choice. Here are some conscious reformulations.
• How should you address this?
o How do you choose to address this?
• Everyone has to support this goal.
o What would serve the company best?
• We need to contain the damage.
o How do we intend to do what's right?

LANGUAGE COMPASSION
Consummate conscious communicators language themselves so as to demonstrate or evoke compassion
Just do it !
• Are you willing to do it?
• How can I facilitate this for you?

No excuses !
• What will it take to do it?

What's wrong with this picture?
• How can we all win on this?

PUTTING CONSCIOUS COMMUNICATION INTO PRACTICE
The next time you have an opportunity to show leadership, pause to clarify your intention before proceeding. (What outcome do you intend?) Then embody that intention. Demonstrate it through your actions ... and through your conscious choice of the use of words.

Don Miguel Ruiz in his book – The Four Agreement, he mentioned about:-
Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Conclusion
The language of leadership speaks not only from our verbal communication, it can also be demonstrated from our body language. I fully agree with Don Miguel Ruiz that we need to be impeccable with the use of words, do not take anything personally, and do not make assumptions. As a wise saying that goes:- Verbal words are sharper than a sword.