Is this an article about beauty bias? No.
Harassment? Nope.
Favoritism? Try again.
Inflated employee recognition? Bite your tongue.
Campus recruitment nepotism? We all need to move past that.
Shiny new object syndrome? You’re getting cold.
A mistaken soap opera? Well….no, no not really.
Let’s talk about the power of diction…the power of word choice.
Certain cultures appear to cheapen the value of select words. I fall back on “awesome, fantastic, wonderful and you rock” among others. It wasn’t until I built relationships across cultures that I noticed they, too, gravitate toward other and often surprising words.
While we offer these affirmations and kudos with sincerity, societal overuse lessens their meaning. Our challenge is to remain authentic and undeterred in providing recognition. Sometimes this involves broadening and sharpening our vocabulary.
Below are two words I have added to my lexicon.
Brilliant
In the US, we can say “that’s genius” without concern. Perhaps this reflects our “everyone gets a trophy” flaw or our innate desire to lead by prizing the invention of something new. However, we use the synonym “brilliant” far less often. Why is this? Simultaneously, we think foreign accents sound wiser than ours. Accents from across the pond makes anything sound more reliable and intelligent.
The UK colleagues I have worked with freely use the word “brilliant” to refer to ideas, projects and people. I wonder if the word “genius” falls flat because we know true geniuses are rare. Choosing the word “brilliant” reminds us that sparks of light are everywhere if we look closely and fan the flame.
Thanks, Nic.
Beautiful
For native English speakers, the prospect of conducting business in another language can send us running for the hills, yet this is our expectation for non-native English speakers. When we step back to realize how challenging this is for our colleagues, the style and speed of communication changes. Patience perseveres, and we kindly decline their apologies for mistaking or searching for the right word. English is not easy!
When leading someone whose first language was not English, I found her consistently using the word “beautiful” to describe…everything. Not only was she a curious optimist, but she allowed her diction to draw others into her view of the world. Life seemed a bit more magical after a conversation with her. I saw more things as beautiful when I heard her say so.
Thanks, Inga.
To the Point
What if we saw more people, projects and ideas as brilliant and beautiful? What if we carefully chose our words rather than foamed at the mouth in order to prevent silence, assert authority or speed forward?
Embrace the power of language for good. Make your words mean something. Borrow inspiration when needed.
Image sources:
GIF from Wix Library http://itsaschorrthing.com/words-matter/
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