Wording Yourself and Your Team into Focus
by Robert Hackman
Picture by Kevin Henderson on Unsplash
What are words worth?
From the song ‘Wordy Rappinghood’
By Tom Tom Club
When pointed in the right direction, words are worth a great deal!
I have become captivated by the profound implications of a quote attributed to anonymous declaring, ‘We tend not to pay attention to what we have not put words to.’
Putting words and stories to things automatically increases your concentration on them. The opposite is also true. Without words, you lose focus.
Like a Jedi mind trick, your use of language edits and intensifies what you think about, guiding your decision-making and actions.
Your acknowledgment, appreciation, and application of this understanding are vital. Because as author Earl Nightingale noted, ‘(You) are what (you) think about all day long.’
A quick reminder. You think in words and stories. You are a story-making machine. You want to make sure your narratives matter in ways that serve you and others best.
The most meaningful choices you make in your life have everything to do with deciding what is most worthy of your consideration, both over time and at any given moment.
Articulating the right words about what is of utmost significance to you establishes your pathway to follow for fewer regrets.
- What vital aspirations of your life and work have you put words to?
- What crucial aspects of your life have you neglected to name and claim?
- How has declaring your intentions sharpened your focus and increased follow-through?
- How has leaving essential parts unaddressed diminished your attention to them?
One of the most distressing responses to a question in my legacy interviews was provided by my friend and interviewee, Sean Gallagher. ‘What legacies do you believe your parents wanted for you?’ The vast majority of the respondents said they did not know.
When interviewees did answer the question, no one focused on loving or being loved well or having meaningful long-term relationships with significant others, friends, family, and associates. Few realized their parents wanted them to make an impact in ways they found personally fulfilling.
To my mind, these are missed opportunities primed for regret. Parents missed a phenomenal chance to deepen a relationship, convey values, express love, and impart their legacy by leaving them unexpressed.
I have found the same to be true of business leaders. Their people do not know how they are considered or the degree to which they are valued. Their leaders have never asked them what they find most important. They remain unknown to significant degrees by their manager.
Nor have their managers or leaders imparted the essential values, purpose, and approach they hold themselves or for their teams and organizations. Usually, they have not put them into words and, therefore, have not determined them. They have not put them into words, declared them publicly, and taken the time to infuse them into their teams and organizations.
Putting fundamental elements, such as core principles, tenants, and standards, into words represents the beginning of the focusing and integration process, not the end.
Inquiries worthy of your consideration:
- Have you articulated your personal, team, or organizational purpose? What would the impact be to you, your team, clients, and stakeholders if you did?
- Have you verbalized your essential values (I recommend narrowing them to two) for yourself, your team, or your company? How would doing so enhance your leadership, decision-making, and relationships?
- Have you verbalized what you consider most vital to the significant people in your life? What holds you back? In what ways would your relationship change if you did?
- Have you asked your significant other, family members, team members, direct reports, and stakeholders what is most essential to them? How would the question make them feel? Might it increase trust?
It would be best if you took the time to put words to what is most necessary for you, your family, your team, and your company. Only then do you stand a chance of placing your attention on them in ways of the greatest significance to you.
Please reach out to me if you want help achieving what is most vital to you, your team, or your organization. I welcome the conversation.
Robert Hackman is the founder and principal of 4C Consulting and Coaching. He provides executive coaching for leadership impact, growth, and development for individuals, teams, and organizations. Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, he facilitates trusting environments that promote unusually candid conversations. Rob is also passionate about the power of developing Legacy Mindsets and has conducted over 50 Legacy interviews with people to date.
A serious man with a dry sense of humor who loves absurdity can often be found hiking rocky elevations or making music playlists. His mixes, including Pandemic Playlists and Music About Men, among others, can be found on Spotify.