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Humanize the language of business

“The noblest human ideals must become the noblest business ideals.”

The goals of management are usually described using words like “efficiency,” “advantage,” “value,” “superiority,” “focus,” and “differentiation.” Important as these objectives are, they lack the power to rouse human hearts. To create organizations that are almost human in their capacity to adapt, innovate, and engage, management pioneers must find ways to infuse even the most mundane business activities with deeper, soul-stirring ideals and to develop an authentically homegrown vocabulary for communicating their ambitions. How you talk reflects how you think (and how your organization works). If you want to inspire people to extraordinary accomplishment, the language of honor, truth, love, justice, and beauty can no longer be relegated to the fringes of management discourse and action.

32 Stories
87 Hacks
4 Barriers

Humanize the language of business

“The noblest human ideals must become the noblest business ideals.”

The goals of management are usually described using words like “efficiency,” “advantage,” “value,” “superiority,” “focus,” and “differentiation.” Important as these objectives are, they lack the power to rouse human hearts. To create organizations that are almost human in their capacity to adapt, innovate, and engage, management pioneers must find ways to infuse even the most mundane business activities with deeper, soul-stirring ideals and to develop an authentically homegrown vocabulary for communicating their ambitions. How you talk reflects how you think (and how your organization works). If you want to inspire people to extraordinary accomplishment, the language of honor, truth, love, justice, and beauty can no longer be relegated to the fringes of management discourse and action.

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I graduated from college in February of 1971, Mr. JKE had his motel manager Durrell Dallas ask me if I want to become a management trainee. The restaurant manager had just quit or been fired.
Story by Jim McGriff, Jr. on February 27, 2020
It is no secret that happy employees have more chances to stay longer within the company. Which means employee retention rates for managers who keep their employees happy tend to be high.
Story by Barret Selby on November 21, 2017
BREP would stand for: Back to basics; Rational expectations; customer Experience management; and Patterns management.
Hack by Ovidiu Slavoiu on June 25, 2010
Unless we change the story we won't change anything fundamental.Our stories keep us doing what we're already doing or open up new possibilites for action.
Hack by Mark Addleson on December 17, 2011
I walked out of a door at the Ramada Inn South motel looking for Ms. E. She is the owner’s wife and the General Manager of the hotel.
Story by Jim McGriff, Jr. on October 15, 2012
Some time ago, I watched a free webinar by Dr. Daniel H. Kim, co-founder of Pegasus communications, about the need to invent the 3rd Generation of Leadership for the XXI century.
Hack by Olivier Lavergne on December 2, 2010
Who are the people with the “least formal authority” in your organization? Your interns!
Hi you all!The paper “Conceptoloy of Learning and Leading at Work” is now completed and ready sharing and reviewing. The paper is available in both a short and a long version.
Hack by Rune Kvist Olsen on June 18, 2013
For innovation to prosper and novel designs to get funded, we need a more thoughtful language to communicate across isolated disciplines, with more clarity.
Barrier by Ellen Weber on September 8, 2010
How many of you have seen this sarcastic picture of a manager keyboard with a single key on it? The now famous "FYI" key...
Hack by Olivier Lavergne on December 1, 2010

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