Are
you using the language of “Failure” with your teams?
The
"Language of Failure." It's ambiguous, lacks specificity and will
assuredly lead to disappointment, failure and bad feelings. Ambiguity and
generalizations lead to disappointment. Here's a good example. If you ask
three people what "ASAP" means to them, you'll probably get three
different answers as to the specific timeframe in which "ASAP" is
carried out. Now, let's say I'm promising an external customer a new
copier and I'm relying on you to complete the service contract. You tell me
you'll get it to the customer ASAP - an ambiguous answer. How can I make a real
delivery commitment to that customer? Or, what about the ambiguous
"I'll get right on it"? Do you mean you'll do the task immediately,
or as soon as you finish reading your e-mails, or after you've had lunch? When
is "right on it"?
Don't
confuse the language of Failure with lack of intention. Sometimes, "I'll
get right on it," means that they have great intention and, in fact,
really intend to complete the project. You don't want to dampen their
enthusiasm but you do wish to clarify the commitment. Intentions can't be
measured. The employee who promised to "get right on it" may have had
no intention of getting to your project this afternoon, the next day or even
this week. That's not lack of accountability. That's grounds for termination
due to lack of interest.
Even
things that seem obvious can be a part of the language of Failure. What about a
promise to complete a project by the end of the year? If your corporation works
on a fiscal year, that could be August or September or October. If it works on
a calendar year, it's December - but is it the first of December or the last
day of December? As you are probably observing, these types of
ambiguities are all part of the Language of Failure, and every one of these
vague phrases increases the chances of relationship or project failure.
Here
are some of the biggest offenders from the Language of Failure:
- Soon
- ASAP
- Right away
- I'll get right on it
- The end of the day/week/month/year
- Later
- Try
- Should
- Might
So
what can you do to end the ambiguity in your communication? ----Begin using the
language of specificity.----
The
language of specificity is The Language of Accountability. It is the
opposite of the “Language of Failure”.
Instead
of saying, "I'll have this report on your desk ASAP," you say,
"I'll have that report on your desk by 1 p.m. this afternoon."
Rather than saying, "We'll have the project completed by the end of the
day," tell your counterpart, "I'll have it wrapped up by Tuesday,
June 13th at 10 a.m., your time."
The
three most important rules in creating an accountability culture are "specificity,
specificity, specificity."
Practice
making commitments, using the Language of Accountability by saying, "I
will do it on 'X' date at 'X' time."
Your
Language of Specificity should include:
- What date and time should I follow up with you to make
sure the loop is closed?
- Who owns it?
- I own it!
- Will (e.g., "I will" in lieu of
"try," "should," or "might.")
- Here's what it will look like when it is completed.
- Using the Language of Specificity will increase accountability and strengthen the accountability culture within your organization.
As
you practice avoiding the Language of Failure and increase your mastery of the
Language of Specificity, you'll see your performance increase. High-performing
leaders are skilled at listening for ambiguity in language and replacing it
with specificity.