The Power of Language in Crisis Leadership--How Effectively Do You Use It? July 2020
In my What You Say Is What You Get® Positive Crisis $ystem Leadership manual now on the
boards, I explain why successful crisis leadership requires the masterful, careful and precise
use of language. In crisis, everyone looks to you for guidance. Your words can make or break
effective fast solutions, creativity, and the spirit and behavior of all involved.
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by (hu)mankind.” Rudyard Kipling
The most crucial language ability in leading crisis is the powerful use of positive language
to balance compelling crisis negatives, while not denying the difficulties. This includes
intentionally creating a positive context for crisis resolution, the only approach that maximizes
your chance of successful outcomes.
The traditional approach to crises is to focus first/foremost/only on the worst in the situation,
a great temptation, but this makes everything worse, creating more fear, despair, upset,
discouragement, less co-operation, slower weaker results, and a much lower chance of successful resolution.
Positive leaders know that positive language creates less fear and discouragement,
more hope, inspiration, creativity, commitment, co-operation and teamwork, better faster
more creative results and a much higher chance of successful outcomes. This becomes more important with the growing list of unknowns in the COVID crisis.
“We cannot always control our thoughts, but we can control our words,
and repetition impresses the subconscious, and we are then master of the situation.”
Florence Scovel Shinn
--How aware are you of your use of language in leading crises?
--How skillfully do you tailor your language to the culture(s) of those involved?
--How aware are you of what percentage of your statements and data are positive? Negative?
--How high are your Positive Quotient®, or your PQ and your Appreciative Quotient®,
or AQ?
--What impact does your language have on those in crisis with you?
A Few Powerful Examples from COVID-19 Leadership, Positive and Negative
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them
and be influenced by them for good or ill.” Buddha
Positive:
1. President Trump and Task Force members frequently mentioning the top priority of
protecting life and health, with decisions based on medical data, even though with
a high economic cost.
2. President Trump and Task Force members stating that we have the greatest medical
system in the world and can create solutions (therapeutics and vaccines) for the virus.
3. President Trump frequently mentioning our past economic success as a nation, saying
we can do that again, stating a positive vision for economic recovery.
4. President Trump and Dr. Birx repeatedly appreciating the American people for
following their health and safety guidelines.
5. President Trump appreciating states which had reserves of needed medical equipment,
masks, etc.
6. President Trump appreciating corporations who quickly pivoted to produce needed
medical equipment.
Negative:
1. The term social distancing, a negative exaggeration of physical distancing.
(Thanks to the Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health. We should say
physical distancing instead of social distancing, more accurate and supportive.) Social
distancing implies more emotional distance in relationships, the last thing we need now!
2. The term quarantine, which only means isolating those who are ill. instead of
“shelter in place” or “sequester”, which is less negative and more accurate for most of us
who do not have the virus. Quarantine creates an underlying fear of greater risk of illness
than is accurate.
3. A reporter, in a negative tone, when one person in the White House tested positive for the
virus, asked President Trump if “the whole system was breaking down”! I was shocked at first,
then I saw he had a political agenda, so over-exaggerated the negative. President
Trump calmly said of course not, the system was not broken, there are hundreds of
people in the White House daily. This reporter spread more fear and uncertainty to
everyone listening (was that his intention?) in addition to his negative agenda
in how he asked the question. He broke my Dr. Linne’s Rules of the Road for questions.
(I have an section on the most skillful approach to asking powerful questions in my Positive
Leadership Communication $ystem, What You Say Is What You Get®-The Secret
Language of Great Business Results, with a brief summary in the upcoming
Positive Crisis Leadership manual.
4. President Trump, saying another reporter’s question was asked in a “nasty” way. Although
true, his correction, saying the reporter should have started with the positive achievements,
not just focused on the one smaller negative, followed my Dr. Linne’s Rules,
yet should not have included the word “nasty”. That said, given the constant attacks on him,
many orchestrated, I don’t know how he keeps his cool as well as he does....I don’t know
one person who could even come close.
“Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides.”
Rita Mae Brown
I appreciate your Positive Leadership in this time of challenging unknowns!Dr. Linne
"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, & protect
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System
Founder/CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders& Consultants Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results
Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient PQ® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient AQ® Questionnaire Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage Power Course on Intuition for Business Leaders! "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2020. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.
