Leadership Language: The Words That Build (or Break) Your Culture
What if the most powerful leadership tool you have isn’t a strategy, a title, or a process—but the words you use every day?
In Episode 10 of Leadership Explored, we dig into a deceptively simple but deeply overlooked topic: leadership language. And we don’t mean how to sound polished or strategic—we mean the everyday language that quietly shapes how your team thinks, feels, and connects.
Because here’s the thing:
Your language is your leadership.
Not just in speeches or strategy docs, but in Slack messages, hallway feedback, and company updates. The metaphors you lean on, the way you use pronouns, the tone in your "thank you" emails—all of it is culture-shaping. And often, leaders don’t realize the ripple effect their words have… until the trust is gone.
In this episode, we explore:
🧭 How vague corporate speak erodes trust
🧠 Why “we,” “you,” and “I” matter more than you think
⚔️ The subtle danger of war metaphors in everyday leadership
📉 What happens when words and behavior don’t align
🧹 And how to clean up your leadership language—one phrase at a time
“Once people stop trusting what you say, they’ll stop engaging with what you mean.”
— Ed Schaefer, Episode 10
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about becoming more aware—more intentional—about the language you use, and how it shapes the kind of culture you’re building.
🎧 Listen to Episode 10 now:
Leadership Language – How Words Build (or Break) Culture
📨 We'd love to hear from you:
What’s one phrase, metaphor, or habit you’ve retired—or plan to—after realizing how it was landing with your team?
Reply here or email us at leadershipexplored@gmail.com. We might include your response in a future episode.
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We’re a podcast hosted by Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund, exploring what it means to lead with purpose in today’s evolving workplace. Real conversations, no fluff.
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