Welcome to another Wednesday Wisdom. Every week, I share with you what I’m thinking about life, work, and leadership. This week we’re talking about the power of language in unexpected times.
In New Zealand, we’ve just moved back into Level 4 lockdown. Those of you in Sydney and Melbourne will be rolling your eyes – but we’re not used to this!
I’m already watching the language coming out of my mouth and those around me as we quickly change our plans for the rest of the week.
I started out terribly, with:
“I can’t fly to Christchurch to see my sister tomorrow” and
“I won’t be able to keep up with the F45 Challenge”
…before I gave myself a metaphorical slap around the chops. This is the sort of attitude that’s going to make me feel sad, throw out my meal prep and grab the nearest bag of chips.
Times like these are exactly when we need to grab on to the power of language.
I’ve tried to move into a bit of the “I’m trying” – so here’s my little lockdown experiment.
I’ll be going LIVE on LinkedIn every morning at 9AM NZST, starting today, with a mini-series on “The Strategist’s Guide to Life.” If you’re like me and you’re all about continuous improvement – but the cringey Instagram quotes and pop psychology make you wanna vom, these are the sessions for you. Add them to your calendar here.
Why the focus on language? Well, two weeks ago, I wrote about the power of watching our language, when we respond to change.
I shared how I discovered, in my leadership research, that we can diagnose different patterns of behaviour and thinking based on the language people use – and we can use those words to provoke a shift in our mindset.
To recap, we found that:
Worried and defeated people use passive language, and struggle to act on the things they cared about.
Busy and resentful people use the language of constraints, and find it hard to live by their priorities.
Proactive people use choice-focused language, and find opportunities to make a difference.
Adaptive and flexible people use the language of experimentation and are able to grow.
You can see this again in the handy model below:
Swapping out the occasional “I have to” for an “I choose to” or “I’m learning to” can have a transformational effect on the way we think about our situation. I mean, it’s happening anyway, so… why not?
Small shifts. Big difference.
Watch your language – and stay safe Aotearoa.
Nga mihi nui,
A
Read the full article here, to hack your language and boost your attitude in tricky times.