In my leadership coaching business, I spend most of my time helping individuals and organizations identify priorities, clarify identity/purpose, and communicate more effectively. Communication impacts everything they do. It impacts everything we do as well.
The words we speak, write, text, post, and share reveal who we are, what we value, what we prioritize, and the impact we have on others. Our words and subsequent actions are the true indicator of our identity personally, and our culture/identity organizationally.
What we talk about most matters most. What we prioritize in conversation generally indicates priority in life and within an organization. Our words can be powerful regardless of the manner we share them.
This past Saturday, I went to the La Tech vs ULL football game. It was a tremendous game in so many respects. The crowd was great, the administration did another fantastic job of providing an outstanding gameday experience, and the La Tech team displayed so many great qualities as they just kept competing regardless of the circumstances. A comeback win was a great way to wrap up the evening.
However, there was something that diminished the experience for me. As I entered the stadium before the game, I noticed one sign on the reserved seating side of the stadium. Just one sign that conveyed a message that instantly bothered me and remains on my mind days after the game.
I kept looking over my shoulder during the game hoping someone would take it down. However, it was never taken down. I drove by Sunday morning, and the sign was still up.
I mentioned my concern to a few people and struggle even now to write about it. Am I making too much of a sign at a college football game? Am I just being petty? Am I projecting too much for a sign that was likely never intended to be taken literally?
As much as I want La Tech to win, my identity is not wrapped up in the team’s performance. I give my time, talent, and treasure to the university, but I don’t base my identity on things outside of my control. However, as I sat there during the game, I felt connected to the message on that sign just by pure association.
Words matter! Many of the circumstances in life are either made worse or better based on how we communicate in the moment. Our words and resulting actions may not change the circumstances, but they have a huge impact on our attitude and on those around us.
I have failed miserably many times with my words and resulting actions. I am fully aware and seek to be better when it matters most. I realize the importance of words, and the impact they can have on others.
Our words can:
· Lift up or tear down
· Provide hope or discourage
· Connect or divide
· Heal or destroy
· Clarify or confuse
It’s just a reminder of the power of our words. The words we speak, write, text, post, or share in any number of ways matter so much.
Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person”.
I am seeking to apply that verse daily but particularly to my uneasiness with the game sign discussed above.
Maybe I am making too much of it and just need to move on.
Doug equips leaders to make organizations better. He has two leadership books available on all online platforms. Whether you are looking for a speaker for your next event or a leadership coach to develop people and build an authentic team, contact Doug at doug.strickel@gmail.com and learn more about PLUS.
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