100 Ways to Motivate Others

40. Lead With Language

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.

—Max DePree, business consultant and author

We once worked with a group of managers who managed various teams in a company plagued with low morale. The teams were grumbling and exulting in victim language. But once we suggested different words and language for the managers to use in team meetings, everything began to change. Their people became more self-motivated.

As the psychological turnaround advanced, the managers began to open their meetings by asking who had an acknowledgement, “Who would like to acknowledge someone else right now?” and the talk began to swing to appreciation, instead of to complaint and criticism. And all of a sudden, the mood of the meetings ...