Words are extremely powerful. God created the world with words. Servant leaders need to understand the impact of their words in every situation.
Think about when Jesus was sleeping in the boat with a few of his disciples and a huge storm blew in and was seriously rocking the boat. His disciples were extremely worried that Jesus was not concerned and they woke him up asking for help. Jesus simply said to the wind and waves: “Quiet! Be still!” Three simple words brought calm to the situation.
I was talking to a leader the other day whose organization had just gone through a major crisis. Their Internet connection had been severed somewhere within their community and it had knocked down their email and web connection throughout their entire organization, including their remote locations.
In times of crisis a leader can react in a number of ways:
- One option would be to fly off the handle looking for whom to blame for a problem.
- Another option would be to jump in right away and try to personally solve the problem.
- A third option would be to calm the storm with a few key words, and allow your people to do their job.
This leader calmed the storm. He illustrated confidence in his team to do what they knew needed to be done to recover from the situation, and improve it for the future. After the problem was resolved his team thanked him for reacting how he did, and allowing them to do their job to fix the situation. They appreciated his support and the confidence that he displayed in them.
Reacting with positive words, and “calming the storm words” in tense situations can lead to the following:
- Building of self-esteem in your people
- Building of trust with the team
- Quicker resolution of problems
- Development of people’s skills to further equip them for the future
Servant leaders recognize the power of words. They think first, and then speak. They speak with words that people can understand, words that build self-esteem, words that calm the storm, and they do it in as few and simple words as possible.
How are you doing on managing your words, and using them for the impact that you desire?
Mark Deterding
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5
Excellent points to bring out, Mark.
Recently, a valuable member of my team moved on to the next opportunity, leaving a void that needed to be filled immediately in a very fast paced, high pressure role.
I had spent the previous three months mining for new talent and, providentially, had a young and eager team member waiting in the wings and hopeful for a long term opportunity with our company.
Not quite sure he was ready (or that he really knew what he was getting himself into), I made the decision to give him the shot, believing that he had shown the initiative I was looking for and that he had earned it.
Just yesterday I had the opportunity to see the principles you call attention to above in action. I had emerged from an hour long meeting to find a message in my inbox with a single word in the subject line “HELP”.
A smile crossed my face (not an evil grin) as considered what I thought may be going on.
It was much worse.
When I arrived on the scene, this young fellow was moving and talking so fast, I could barely connect his sentences into a coherent thought. He was sweating profusely. If it had not been for his skin, I think his body parts would have been running in different directions. I observed for a minute or two as he attempted to explain everything that was happening all at once.
As he was mid-sentence, I calmly spoke his name (I think, maybe twice), asked him to look at me, and with similar calm, smiled and asked him to take a breath.
I’m not sure who was more surprised at what came next, me or him. His wide eyes relaxed, his shoulders dropped on the exhale (he had literally taken a deep breath) and his voice shifted to calm. The storm was over.
I reminded him of my confidence in his ability to do the job, and we worked together to set things in order and tackle them one by one in the most efficient manner.
Later that evening, I sent him a text thanking him for his passion and drive, while reminding him again of my confidence in him. His text response let me know that a difficult situation turned into a BIG win for him that day, and reaffirmed for me that when we are properly supporting and serving those in our charge, the result is growth, loyalty, and excellence.
Brent,
Thanks so much for your insightful thoughts! You cite a phenomenal example of the positive impact you had on someone within your sphere of influence in what could have been an intense time. Calming the waters, and illustrating your confidence in people will build them up, enhance relationships, and lead to success and significance down the road. Great work Brent!
Mark