Words Matter, Choose them Wisely
Photo by Kalei de Leon on Unsplash
I dislike the word management. As a change management specialist, it is built into my title and yet I dislike it very much. I even more so dislike it when its referring to managing people. If you look at the dictionary definition of management, you'll understand why: management is the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of someone viewing their role as needing to deal with or control me. It immediately puts a negative connotation on the idea; someone or something is broken, and they need to fix it. The way to thrive on a team or in an organization is to remove this idea that you need to deal with your people and replace it with enable your people. It is the same with time management. The whole reason we try to manage our time is because we want to accomplish a goal, but we get so focused on everything we're trying to fit into our day, we forget the reason those tasks made it onto the To Do list in the first place. This is why I have started to remove the word management from my vocabulary and replace it with enablement.
The dictionary definition of enablement is the action of giving someone the authority or means to do something; the action of making something possible. If I'm starting to lose you because you think that's just semantics, then let me briefly point out the extensive research out there around the impact of the words we choose. For example, people tend to avoid risks when a situation is framed positively but are more willing to take risks when it is framed negatively. This is known as the framing effect, a concept explored extensively in behavioral economics and psychology. For example, in healthcare, framing a treatment’s success rate positively (“90% success rate”) versus negatively (“10% failure rate”) can significantly influence patients’ choices.
Words matter.
Choosing to say enablement instead of management reframes how we view the task at hand. With time management in particular, by attempting to control time and accomplish tasks, our priorities and purpose get lost in the checklist. What if instead of trying to fit our tasks into our hours, we started viewing it as using our hours to enable our priorities. A small but subtle shift in the language changes the focus.
Goals are reached when we stop managing tasks and outcomes and start enabling people and priorities.
Change management is controlling and managing change. Change enablement is making change possible.
A manager is someone who is focused on the tasks of their people by trying to control outcomes. A leader is someone who focuses on their people by enabling them to achieve their goals.
Time management is organizing tasks; time enablement is optimizing time to fulfill your purpose.
As you embark on your day today, take note of the words you are using. How are you talking to others? How are you talking to yourself? Replacing management with enablement, or replacing manager with leader, are just two examples. Is there a word or phrase you use often in your life that could be replaced with something more positive? What about replacing I don't know how with I haven't learned that yet. Or another favorite of mine is replacing weird with different.
These changes are subtle, but studies show they have a significant impact on the choices we make. If you've been unsuccessful with something, or notice you use a lot of negative phrasing in general, finding success may not need a major change but rather a small tweak with how you speak; spending a little time reframing your language may just be the small change in trajectory you need to carry out the vision you have for yourself.
