Valuable Words in Business

Last week a friend pointed out to me that she wasn’t sure if her words were valuable or if they were just words. She wanted to make sure that what she shared inspired. She was adamant about making a difference in her workplace and touching those around her, but had no clue if her words accomplished any form of productivity in the life of the hearer.

Few people who mentor, speak or lead get the opportunity to hear the effectiveness of their words. Most receive plenty of negative feedback based on the potential change their words bring into the other person’s life, but few get positive feedback or even a simple thank you as most expect a leader to have shared what they did.

In business we set our direction and live by words. The corporate goals or departmental objectives are words that drive the strategy of the firm and our daily activities. When the words are good and followed, it drives excellence and moves the business forward. When the words are not demonstrated, but rather just talked about, it deflates the workers and reduces productivity.

The words put in place by our corporations to live by are just words unless we actually live by them. Hypocritical managers always find frustration when they can’t seem to get their employees to follow the rules. They find themselves having strong words with more and more employees, rather than taking responsibility to demonstrate the rules and seeing its positive impact on all onlookers.

I’ve read many business books from across the world including The Art of War by Chinese writer Zǐ Bīng Fǎ and I must admit, the best business book in the world is still the Bible. Here is what it says about our words:

Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

It isn’t rocket science, but plain common sense. If we walk our talk, we will find that people will eventually listen. If they listen, they will eventually reflect on our words. If our words are sound, they will embrace our words and put them into practice. Once in practice, they will be rewarded by the effectiveness of the words and most likely pass the wisdom on to another or return to thank us. In either case, our words will be productive.

Its only when we don’t walk our talk that frustration surfaces. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “do as I say, not as I do.” It is foolish. No one in their right mind would follow someone who isn’t willing to drink their own Kool-Aid. People want authenticity and they’re not about to follow anyone who lives hypocritically unless they feel that they have no other choice.

I remember my dad sharing a story with me during my junior high years. He was out smoking and drinking with his buddies and conversing about their teenagers. The one drew in deeply from his cigarette and then let it out slowly. He sighed, “I don’t understand it, I tell my kids not to smoke, but I keep catching them at it. How can I make my kids listen?”

My dad saw his friend as a hypocrite, pulled out his cigarettes and laid them on the bar. He said his goodbyes and headed home never to smoke again. He didn’t want his kids to smoke and decided to live by example. He wanted his words to count, so he thought he’d better walk the talk. The result, I’ve never tried a cigarette or cigar. I believed his words.

As for my dad’s friend, well, his son still smokes to this very day. He is battling the same lung disease that took his mother and his life is in disarray. All, as he put it, because he could never find words he could trust. And, when I asked him about his father, some of his words sounded quite condemning. Just as the Bible states for the hypocritical:

Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned. James 5:12b

Workers only want to follow the man who leads through example. It doesn’t matter how many degrees we have or the depths of our experience, what matters is that we live by the very words we require others to follow. Simply put, we need to do what we say we are going to do and do what we want others to do.

As for me, I will endeavor to demonstrate it and live by it.