Words ARE action!
A clarification followed by a challenge. . . .
Recently I drove past the middle school our children attended. Someone chooses motivational phrases to put on the school's sign and periodically I slow sufficiently to consider them as I pass. "Words may get you attention, but your actions build your reputation."
A quick search of the Internet demonstrates that this sentiment has strong precedent and good company. Consider the following statements privileging doing over saying:
- "Well done is better than well said." Benjamin Franklin
- "After all is said and done, a lot more will have been said than done." Author Unknown
- "Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement." Alfred Adler
- "Talk doesn't cook rice." Chinese Proverb
While it is unarguable that "talk doesn't cook rice" there is a sense in which NO rice has been cooked apart from speech (written and spoken). People are taught from one generation to the next how to cook rice, they are given reasons - logical, emotional, cultural, dietary - for why they should cook rice, and so on.
Words - whether spoken or written or pantomimed - are actions. What we do apart from words may not always align with what we say and that may be a form of hypocrisy. Talking about things is not the same as doing them, but while that's perceived to be a negative when talking about great deeds, it's a source of comfort to parents that our kids don't really "burn down the school" on a bad day. So, talk without corresponding action can be both a blessing and a curse.
Abraham Lincoln is remembered not only for leading this nation but for the words he used in doing so. His words produced results and responses and actively influence behavior to this day. The
Emancipation Proclamation was an action, but it was the
carefully selected words that achieved what Lincoln intended - the freeing of slaves in every area of the Union that his administration did not control without extending freedom to those slaves held in parts of the country supportive of the Union (read it carefully to see this politically judicious impact).
Let's end this nonproductive and misleading divide between words and actions and recognize that words are one form of activity. As I've noted before, when we tell children "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" we are, all of us, liars. Sometimes I would have preferred a pelting with rocks over the hurtful words that have left indelible scars.
This year (and every year to follow) treat your words with the care they deserve. Think before speaking and definitely think before hitting "Send." Consider how your words can be used to bless others. Many leaders tell me they are not as free with praise as they know they should be. Handwrite notes of thanks to your team members, stop by a team member's desk and tell her specifically how she has contributed to the success of the team today, single out in front of others those who are comfortable with public praise, call team members by name, and look for opportunities to thank those who often go unnoticed - the cleaning crew member, the parking attendant, the building security, and so on.
Use your words as another form of action by which you can shape and influence the world around you. Then with me you can say:
- "Well said and well done is better than merely well done."
- "After all is said and done, a lot has been done in the saying, but perhaps not enough has been done in addition to the saying."
- "Trust that words are a form of movement. Events and words both produce movement."
- "Rice doesn't get cooked apart from words."
At Julian Consulting we help our clients to choose and use their words with care! Call TODAY to determine how we can serve you in this process.
