Are You Insane?
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Clearly, Einstein was on to something! In today’s fast paced market place, many business entrepreneurs and leaders have subscribed to Einstein’s definition.
Sadly, many organization subscribe to language that supports the very definition of insanity, and in many respects, we have all been guilty of using such phrases as:
“I hope”
“I wish”
“I think”
“Maybe”
These words, when used in a business context, can both paralyze and cripple an organization. They do not imply any action and often leave an individual in a state of “analysis paralysis”, which completely derails all progress and any forward movement. This in my opinion is Insanity!
What type of language do you encourage in your organization?
Are you aware of the language being used in your board meetings, huddle rooms and or around the office? Don’t despair, the good news is it can be reversed. You can stop the paralysis. Try this simple yet very impactful exercise that is proven to stop the insanity, while at the same time is a little fun! Create a list of words that exemplifies the behaviours of your organizational culture.
If your team is innovative, dynamic and challenges the status quo, then compile words that exemplify that behaviour. Similarly, if your team is curious, adventurous and outspoken, the language on your list will emulate that behaviour. Once you complete the actionable language list, make an equally opposing list.
At Roma, we’ve compiled our own list, which we call, “Allergic Words”. We use the list as a reminder of both the positive and negative effects of language. When someone on the team says a word like “I hope, I wish, maybe, well see…” we begin to fake an itch, much like it we were allergic to the word.
As the famous phrase states, there are three types of people in the world, the people that make it happen, the people that watch it happen and the people that ask, what happened? In an effort to stop the insanity, I have now altered the phrase to,
There are only 2 types of people, the ones who make it happen and the ones who don’t! Stop the insanity, listen to the language and take massive action!