Common wisdom about leadership often favors “leading by example,” so you might not think too much about the way your team interprets what you say. But the truth is, the words and phrases you use can have a very real impact on your team’s morale and productivity.
“Words are important,” said Isaac Oates, CEO of Justworks, an HR, benefits and payroll platform. “It’s through our words that we communicate our intentions. They are the main tools that we have for sharing our vision with our teams.”
This is especially true when you’re discussing an employee’s performance and engagement, said Vip Sandhir, founder and CEO of employee engagement platform HighGround. Leaders’ conversations about performance can have the biggest impression on their team members.