The Words Leaders Repeat
And What They Really Say
Hi Explorers,
Language is one of the most overlooked tools in leadership—and maybe the most powerful. In this week’s episode of Leadership Explored, we dig into how words don't just communicate intent… they shape culture, build (or break) trust, and define how teams operate day-to-day.
This Substack post is for those of you who prefer reading to listening—or who want to go deeper into the ideas from Episode 10: Leadership Language.
🎧 Haven’t heard the episode yet? Listen here
🔍 What We Talked About in Episode 10
➡️ Corporate Jargon Is Culture Erosion
When leaders default to phrases like “shifting priorities” or “realigning resources,” they often create confusion and suspicion. People aren’t fooled—they’re being asked to pretend. And that fractures trust fast.
➡️ The Power of Pronouns
The difference between I and we matters. Leaders who claim credit with “I” and blame with “you” or “we” unintentionally teach their teams to hide, deflect, or disengage.
➡️ Metaphors Set the Tone
War metaphors (attack, crush, kill it) create adversarial energy. Gardening or building metaphors (grow, build, navigate) create collaboration and sustainability. What you say becomes how people behave.
➡️ Ubiquitous Language = Alignment
Shared definitions are underrated. Making sure everyone understands what a "retrospective" or "ownership" means keeps teams from talking past each other. Definitions are culture tools.
➡️ Words vs. Behavior
Saying “we care about work-life balance” while praising weekend warriors? That’s a culture contradiction—and people notice. Trust is built when your words and actions align. Otherwise, your values become noise.
💬 A Few Practical Language Shifts We’ve Tried Ourselves
Replacing “you guys” with “team,” “everyone,” or “folks”
Avoiding the word “just” when giving direction—it often minimizes the effort needed
Checking for “weasel words” (like “a lot” or “quickly”) and swapping them for specifics
Reflecting on performance review templates to make them more human and less formulaic
📣 Your Challenge This Week
Look at your last three messages to your team—email, Slack, all-hands, whatever. Ask yourself:
What kind of culture does this language reinforce?
Are your metaphors helpful… or combat-ready?
Do your words align with your values and behaviors?
If something’s off, don’t beat yourself up. Awareness is the first step toward leading with more intention—and more impact.
🧭 Final Thought
Language doesn’t just describe culture—it creates it.
The best leaders we know don’t just say the right thing. They mean it—and their teams feel it.
If this resonated, reply to this post, leave a comment, or email us at leadershipexplored@gmail.com. We’d love to hear how language is showing up in your leadership world.
Until next time,
Ed & Andy
🎙️ Leadership Explored
leadershipexploredpod.com