Moving up the career ladder, is there such a thing as building a leadership vocabulary?

27 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 6:48PM UTC

   Communication style is the foremost problem for women attempting to enter leadership. Leadership vocabulary is communicating with the fewest words, communicating clearly, and with an above average vocabulary. Communicate assertively, and not passive-aggressively.

2. AnonymousAugust 12,2023 at 5:24PM UTC

   I hear you! It’s come to WIFM in as few words as possible.

3. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 7:27PM UTC

   Yes- the higher up the ladder, the more technical and concise you need to be IMO

   Communication is definitely key

4. Tara O'HanleyAugust 11,2023 at 8:38PM UTC

   I think you've hit on a vital key to upward mobility that a lot of people don't even think about. There's the internal vocabulary within an industry as well as general leadership language -- both are key to gaining the respect of your colleagues and those senior to you.

   For the way my brain works, I think the way l would handle this is to make a habit of writing out my thoughts and even writing mock essays or responses to questions, just so I could get used to formulating thoughts using those words in the correct order and to give myself a chance to communicate when the stakes are low. It's just a matter of gaining practice and confidence -- very similar to learning how to speak a new language. Spend a couple of hours working on this every week and I promise that, within a few months, you will have grown your abilities by leaps and bounds. If you have a few minutes of downtime at your desk during the day, just develop a habit of free-writing for 15-20 minutes as a little workout for your brain. It will feel good and your productivity will increase just as a result of incorporating this one habit into your work routine. Keep these thoughts and exercises in one journal, and every time you look at that book be sure to take a moment to feel proud of yourself for the effort you are putting into improving yourself as a person. Over time, you'll be able to look through the pages and be in awe of all the progress you've made. Never beat yourself up about where you are or where you started. Only feel pride and recognize that you could be doing nothing about this but instead you are doing *something,* no matter how little or how much.

   Reading books written by leaders, spending time listening to podcast conversations and interviews with respected professionals, and consuming audiobooks will also help -- just make sure the books are light on fluff and instead are straight to the point, efficient, and direct. So many self-help and business-oriented books are marketing material, more so than they are focused on communicating original thoughts. Be discerning about how you spend your time and only give attention to ideas that actually cause you to think and challenge your own assumptions.

   Good on you for taking advice to heart and working to improve yourself! Don't take the feedback you've received in the past personally, though -- there's nothing inherent in YOU that indicates you can't communicate professionally. It's a matter of gaining experience and recognizing that a lot of other people are raised and educated in environments that train them on critical thinking from a very young age. If you aren't naturally drawn to language, were raised in a multilingual environment, and/or haven't had mentors who invested in you and worked to draw out your own thoughts and opinions, you simply haven't yet had the right opportunities to develop these skills. They can be learned, though, and you are very much on the right path. Your future is limitless because of your great attitude and willingness to learn and grow.

   Hopping down off my soapbox now... These are lessons hard-learned by someone whose career has been held back by my own verbal processing delays. Hope the advice doesn't come off as condescending because that's not at all how it's intended.

   Be well!

5. AnonymousAugust 12,2023 at 5:23PM UTC

   Thank you so much for sharing such purposeful and applicable strategies to work on personal growth, all while achieving the BIGGER objective. I’ve been really taking time to script introductions of my meetings with executive presence and when sharing out strategies.

   I’ve asked for more visibility-centric opportunities, building leadership presence, greater trust and confidence but more importantly to start frameworking my leadership style.

   Pithy is the key to success, business impact and objectives, it’s all about how does this benefit us, vs. what’s the initiative all about.

   I feel so empowered by your message, it’s full of guidance and a lot of support. Thank you, thank you!

6. AnonymousAugust 12,2023 at 11:40AM UTC

   Absolutely! One of the ways to do so is to include the words of your company's core values, leader traits, etc. So, if you're looking on what you want to improve in the future, it's called vision and speak to the purpose and the why. This brings along EI so much! For one example. When you incorporate the wording of your company you are sending a message of you've bought into their vision.

7. AnonymousAugust 12,2023 at 5:26PM UTC

   Love, love this! Will do!

8. AnonymousAugust 12,2023 at 4:37PM UTC

   You have to speak strategically, not tactically. In other words the air traffic controller vs the guy who unpacks the planes. Speak to things that make a difference to the whole company and its bottom line and budgets and resources and overall direction vs. how something impacted one person or your department. Take the BIG and make it bigger.

9. Barb HansenAugust 12,2023 at 10:16PM UTC

   There definitely is a "management/leadership" use of words that I learned by listening to leaders the I respected. Podcasts and Youtube videos are a great way to not only from leaders that you admire but to also listen to the adjectives and adverbs used by those leaders.

   I definitely changed how I communicated when interviewing and communicating with leadership about strategy decisions, while trying not to lose the communication style that helped me become what I'm good at, which for me is a casual way of speaking when trying to address complex technical, product and corporate issues. in the past, I think my casual way of speaking held me back b/c I didn't sound "corporate" so I learned to speak "corporate" when necessary :)

10. AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 4:03AM UTC

    I think this is truly it! I am an overthinker but I believe no one wants fancy words and get right to the point. Being in corporate for the last 6-7 years, I have understood starting on WIFM (what’s in it for me, and oh what are you solving for). I have actually had to tone down my vocabulary because it was appearing (thank you SAT vocabulary prep) over complicated. However, now I’m starting to be thoughtful before speaking. I take a moment, collect my thoughts, and keep things pithy. However, where opportunity allows, I go the casual route.

11. GirlBossanova934974August 13,2023 at 12:20PM UTC

    Not to be too critical here but this sounds like "Gas-Lighting 101"! I myself have been in the workforce for a few decades and graduated from a top flight MBA and top flight graduate Engineering program. I often wonder about these "Fluff Masters" sitting in management chairs these days. Using a bunch of nonsensical words and expressions, trying to impress themselves and their peers. If you want to think strategically, here's the deal. Don't look at problems from an individual perspective or a MICRO perspective. Look at problems from an ORGANIZATIONAL perspective. Example: Our Marketing team is a big mess as they decide to do projects based upon a lot of PR with no real numbers behind any of it. Our Brand Manager has no quantitative training. The Strategic viewpoint? We vastly over-hired a bunch of liberal arts majors who hired more liberal arts majors. The Strategic View? WE need to bring our HR Department into the hiring process and make sure we have the right skillsets needed for the roles. We should probably hire more people in Finance and Accounting as well and get them out into the Marketing organizations.

12. Angela P.August 13,2023 at 2:59PM UTC

    I can't imagine anyone with a hard quant background wanting to work in marketing!

13. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 4:30PM UTC

    Is your statement a spoof on the OP’s question, I can’t tell?! It’s reading a lot like MBA bingo to me.

14. Rosa E HearnAugust 13,2023 at 2:19PM UTC

    I have been accused of repeating myself or as the interviewer said "She keeps using the same words". When I was really young, I missed out on a promotion because I didn't read the newspaper. So I couldn't identify trends (I'm in the Industrial sector) my reputation gets me in the door, but I struggle in interviews, so I keep taking online college classes to help me. So far that has worked for me.

15. Coach Nancie Kay ShumanAugust 13,2023 at 3:31PM UTC

    Get a Coach who specializes in helping Leaders communicate. There is a lot of code switching which frequently needs to happen in many industries as you go up the ladder. It's also a way to identify your tribe. Leaders will be perceived as using a particular jargon, which also may be very industry specific.

    This is NOT an area I Coach in, as I believe in radical authenticity and Compassionate Leadership, and these types of linguistic gymnastics tend to be very inauthentic.

16. Shannon KunkleAugust 14,2023 at 2:17PM UTC

    A good coach for this is Louis Gerzofsky - look him up on LinkedIn.

17. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 9:50PM UTC

    Maybe a couple of sessions with a communication coach. Learn the vocabulary of your industry or specialty by listening to podcasts; avoid too many sidebars and rabbit holes; less is best; and learn when a "let me give you an example" STORY can be very empowering. How to combine genuine, authentic voicing with enough industry jargon is an art as well as a science. And perhaps think of asking a powerful question to your audience or listener; will render you more judicious and professional and punctuate your verbiage or discourse more thoughtfully. You're doing great. Best of luck.

18. AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 3:58AM UTC

    I am inspired and on it! Thank you.

19. AnonymousAugust 14,2023 at 2:00PM UTC

    I would also encourage you to consider courses and podcasts around executive presence. I think this would be a great avenue to explore as you move up in any organization. Sometimes it is the little things - too many hand gestures, words like "I think" or "Maybe" or "Perhaps" or other words that don't show confidence; or it could be talking too fast and sounding "jumbled." As a female leader I catch myself at times, in writings or in speech sounding less confident as women can use these types of words to "soften" their speech which then is interpreted as not being ready to lead - especially by men but at times by other women who have mastered a stronger communication style. I would highly encourage you to seek out these types of trainings in addition to some of the other suggestions below.

20. Maureen B. WeisnerAugust 22,2023 at 1:37AM UTC

    Yes, read, read, read and not just industry books/materials. The broader your general knowledge, the more you will convey being current and informed. Many people rely on podcasts for quick hits and serve as an add-on. You don't have to be expert but being able to tap into learning from people who are makes for being a standout.

21. AnonymousAugust 14,2023 at 3:50PM UTC

    Good morning. All the previous comments hit on a key aspect specific to your reflection and why it may have affected you enough to linger. This is good because this is where growth starts.

    When it comes to more senior leadership roles, communication is critical, but knowing your environment and conveying information in a way the stakeholders will understand (2 levels above and your subordinates), trust, and feel confident in your assessment is more critical.

    Beyond confidence, clarity, and intent/ clarity of intent with a way forward is a mark of a leader, which all organizations hone into when interviewing for senior roles.

22. Karen PatwaAugust 14,2023 at 4:46PM UTC

    Look up leadership best practices, frameworks and philosophies. Choose the ones that align with your authentic self and look at the vocabulary they use to describe leadership practices. That's a good place to start to get a hold of some of that vocabulary.

23. Maegan, Nike Sales Rep & Career CoachAugust 15,2023 at 2:22AM UTC

    Hey anonymous! I helped a former client with this so she could move into a management role and can help you if you are looking for a coach to achieve this goal. Here is my link for a consult call https://maeganmillercoaching.as.me/consultcall

24. AnonymousAugust 15,2023 at 12:37PM UTC

    There's a difference between building your vocabulary and spouting $.25 words. If it is just trying to use big words, it will come off that way and could actually work against you. Read. Pick someone you think speaks well and work on how they do it. Make it a natural addition to your speaking.

25. AnonymousAugust 16,2023 at 2:34PM UTC

    i think there's a lot of good advice in the comments already, but i would also add a caution that not "looking like" or "speaking like" a leader is often weaponized to hold back women and people of color in the workplace. were they commenting about your inability to succinctly discuss the finer points of a specific business decision, or were they referring to your speaking cadence or using "like" as a filler word? a bit more thinking around what exactly they meant will help you understand if this is something for you to work on, or just good old workplace bias showing you that it's time to move on to another organization.

26. AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 3:52AM UTC

    It was many years ago and I’ve evolved significantly as professional in those last 6 years, but it’s the type of feedback that sticks and nags.

    it was for a job and the feedback was by the interviewer. I usually like to ask them as a follow up to a declined application, what if any feedback are they willing to share. Because I was enrolled at the institution working towards my masters, she was open to sharing her candid opinion. She said my experience was great, what I’ve done is great, but I did not sound senior enough as I spoke about what I did and what I would help do in the role. It was just extremely disheartening and second guessing myself, and I still second guess myself every now and again when it comes to engaging with leadership.

    I will say, since then and in the organization I’m at, I’m a top performer, I have been promoted a few times, and am working toward a fourth one. As I grow closer to a C-suite role, I wonder, will I fit the part?

27. AnonymousAugust 18,2023 at 12:42PM UTC

    i would say don't let it trouble you anymore then! we all grow and change, and you've obviously been advancing in your career at a good pace.

    there are so many past versions of ourselves, and most of them probably wouldn't be a good C-suite fit. for example, 10 year old you probably wouldn't do great there! but you've advanced and are moving forward. have confidence in that growth!