It’s Monday…and I have to admit that yesterday I felt a little grumpy. I did some introspection and spent some time thinking about why I felt that way, and the conclusion I came to is this week’s Kind Leader Focus: Speak Kindly…your words influence your actions and become the ‘voices’ and negative self talk in other people heads…
Over the weekend, and over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken to a number of people who felt badly, were down on themselves, afraid to try something and didn’t think they could succeed because of something unkind that a leader said to them a long time ago that was how stuck in their memory and negative self-talk, years later.
So this week, as you go through the week, when you have your Leader Hat on, please pay attention to:
1. The words you are choosing to use. Are they words that are derogatory, demeaning, and will stick unkindly in someone’s memory for years to come?
2. Your tone of voice. The seemingly kindest words can hurt when said sarcastically, rudely or in anger.
If you find that others your words and tone unkind, please work on changing them.
Sticks and stones may break bones, but unkind words cause internal wounds that take much longer to - or may never - heal.
You can learn more on the Key Kind Leader Practice: Speak Kindly, and it’s Three Key Behaviors you see below in Chapter 5 of The Kind Leader. You’ll also find practical exercises to help you speak more kindly!
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