Bootstrap Leadership Blog

As you know, business today is extremely competitive. In order to survive, you need to know the language of business, which is filled with unique terms and phrases that you need to learn if you want to join the conversation. So let's take a moment to work on your development, shall we? Let's spend some time helping you to continuously improve, and get creative about how you add value. What follows is my advice, my counsel, my mentoring around learning the language of business.

A word of caution though - I can explain this to you, but I can't understand it for you... you have to take responsibility, exude accountability and dedicate yourself to execution, or you'll fall short of the goal. And that would be bad, as you'd be missing the mark and under-performing, and we might have to have a difficult conversation, take action, put you on a plan, manage you out or help you transition out of your role. That is if we don't reassign you or put you into redeployment, or reassess your contribution. You have to understand, we're just managing our resources, so we can maximize our human capital and capitalize on our revenue and growth opportunities. So don't assume that you're not looking at this the right way. I'm just offering a competing point of view, looking through a different lens, and trying to work backwards from the answer.

At the end of the day, you need to get aligned on the language of your company. You need to capture the synergies and strive for outperformance when you engage in the dialog. Be sure to calibrate yourself, and manage expectations, because others are looking to streamline your feedback and achieve a paradigm shift. If you can offer alternatives, and provide some perspective, others can focus on results, think outside the box, and produce some early wins. Be sure to manage conflict, however, or people will lose work-life balance, and that will not be a measure of success that you'll cite as a best practice. How can you innovate, on time and on budget, to produce the strategic thinking that others will utilize to produce project outcomes that will have clear metrics that demonstrate a win-win for everyone?

Last time I checked, learning to talk "corporate" boosts your executive presence, demonstrates that you're buttoned up, and sends a clear message that you are looking for a competitive advantage. If we were to plot you on a nine-box, we'd see that you've been achieving your potential, and working off the side of your desk to create a deck that reveals a rigorous burning platform. You're in sync with the culture, and understand that how you speak has everything to do with motivating, empowering, and engaging your people. It's not just about coaching others to take their game to the next level, it's about extending your own mojo beyond your sphere of influence, so you can help others get out of their comfort zone and step up to operationalize their unique contribution.

There is a lot of synergy to be gained by collaborating with your teammates on a common language - who knows, you might even win the war for talent in the process. You'd better understand the international landscape, however, or you'll miss an opportunity to beat the competition with a business model that builds customer loyalty and increases your brand and global footprint. In the end, it's about bringing others with you and investing in your people, who, after all, are you most important asset. It's about building a pyramid of focus that is unmatched by those who might seek to copy your position or outflank you in the court of public opinion. It's about winning in the marketplace, being # 1 or # 2 in your industry, and making it all about the customer.

It's not about you, it's about the language. So get with the program, start driving for results, and be a team player. It's funny, because when it's all said and done, more is said than done. And what's not to like about that?