The Power of Language

“….When factual truth breaks down – with a denial say of the outcome of a legitimate election – a rush of falsehoods may inundate and entire society. That is because factual untruth requires continuous additional untruths to cover and sustain the original one. And the defence of continuous falsehoods relies on more than repetition; it requires intimidation and can readily lead to violence.”
Robert Jay Lifton, writing in American Scientific

The thought manifests as the word
The word manifests as the deed.
The deed develops into habit.
And the habit develops into character;
So watch the thought and its ways with care;
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.
As the shadow follows the body,
As we think, so we become.
(From the sayings of the Buddha- quoted by Matthew Budd in “You are What you Say”)

Just as our thoughts shape our character, so too do our words define the landscapes in which we live and work. Language is not merely a tool for expression; it is arguably the scaffolding of our lived reality. Every utterance, every conversation, carries the potential to influence not only individual actions but also the habits and cultures that arise within our communities. When we pay attention to the way in which we communicate we create a vehicle for either individual and collective growth, or destruction.

These two quotes chosen here, reflect the two sides of the same ‘power of language’ coin. The word manifesting as the deed (reality), and factual untruth propagated through repeated false words and verbal intimidation. Our personal framework of reference uses language to establish our personal truth through our internal conversations with ourselves. Widening our understanding of the context of that truth and offering to embody it in our professional and leadership roles is a powerful vehicle for authentic leadership.

We perhaps little appreciate how much of the culture of our organisation draws from our leadership language. Through language communication with other human beings, we create the organisational and societal frameworks in which we operate. In so doing, we bear witness to communal, organisational and societal truth, creating value and purpose in our environment, in which we can thrive, not just survive the demands of the workplace.

Authentic leadership has to be more than bringing your values and purpose to your work: it has to mean co-creating the reality of the organisation through communication: forming a communal understanding through the power of the language we use.