…Choosing Your Words Carefully
I got slammed the other night over my choice of words. I am still trying to decide if it was a fair call or night. There are two teams that I operate in, and I was praising the relationships, atmosphere and ownership of the project of one team, to a member of the other. Said member, felt that my commentary on one team also housed a negative bias on the other. The basis of the argument is that because I’m a ‘crafter of words’ (his phrase, not mine), then the standards set for my words are much higher. His expectation is that I put the same amount of effort and craftsmanship into all my words and phrases.
The truth is, it’s just not so. I’m lazy, unstructured and unmotivated to construct all of my words so well. So lesson for the week, leadership is choosing your words well, regardless. Because it’s in the listening that you can’t rely on others.