Today’s guess blogger is Jamal Yearwood, Albion College senior and Humanergy intern.
Anyone who has found themselves lost in a molecular biology class can agree. The words we use either build comprehension or deepen confusion.
In the office there’s always someone talking. Whether in a meeting, in an email, or at the water cooler, communication is what holds an organization together, yet so much of the jargon that permeates companies is misleading.
Take the typical job title. Though less relevant today, titles are still an important indicator of not only responsibility but also expectations.
A job title gives employees guidance, so it shouldn’t surprise many to find that a “manager’s” default isn’t to lead but to manage. That’s what they’re supposed to do; it says so right in their title.
To test how changing language can change behavior, try calling your managers coaches. The expectations for these individuals is often to guide and develop their employees; however, those ideas are weakly reinforced in their “manager” title. A “coach” title more closely aligns with the behaviors you want to see in your people developers.
Much like a father intentionally calls his fourteen-year old son a “man,” language can set expectations for behavior that doesn’t require explicit communication. If used correctly, learning to leverage vocabulary can be an invaluable tool for aligning desire with reality.
How do you use language to drive the right behaviors and results? Comment below or message us.
Photo from AdobeStock.