Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of performance through strong human relations, team building and gola GV. This is the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul fella Aledo.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast. It's episode three seventy one. Today's episode is called Speak the Language of Value, and I want you to really sit with that title for a second. Not speak the language of profit, not speak the language of authority, not even speak the language of leadership. Speak the language of value. It's a phrase I came up with after years of watching leaders talk in circles, using buzzwords and padding meetings
with bs and giving generic feedback. It sounds like it was pulled from a corporate Bengo card. And the truth is, no one remembers that kind of leader, no one is inspired by that kind of leader, and no one follows that kind of leader. But when you learn to speak the language of value, everything changes. So let's start with this question. What is value In leadership terms, Value is what matters to the person in front of you. Value is what improves their day, strengthens their role, and connects
their work to the mission. When you speak value, You're not just communicating, you're translating. You're saying, I see what you care about, and here's how what i'm asking ties into that. And here are three areas where leaders must speak the language of value. Number one in one on ones. If you're one on one sounds like status updates, you're missing the opportunity. Try saying things like this instead. What's something I can remove from your plate that's draining your energy?
Or how can I help you grow this month in a way that benefits you? Or what does success look like to you right now? And how can I help you achieve it? That's value. That's a language that makes people feel seen. And the second time is during meetings. Stop speaking at people with data, speak to them with meaning. Instead of saying productivity is down fourteen percent, say here's how that drop affects your department and what can we
do to fix it together? Or instead of we need to hit the numbers, say if we hit these numbers, here's how it benefits our team, better tools, more trust from leadership in future investments in you. And you've just gone from metrics to meaning. And the last place to use it is in crisis. This is where it matters most during uncertainty, people don't just want answers. They want reassurance, They want clarity, and they want a reason to keep
moving forward. Your words in those moments either escalate fear or anchor your team speak in a way that gives them value. Here's what's in our control, or here's how we'll protect each other, or here's what matters most right now. And here's the part no one tells you. Speaking the language of value doesn't mean being nice. It means being real. It means not sugarcoating hard truths, but making sure people
understand why the truth matters. It means saying things like I'm not going to let you fail on my watch, or you're too talented to stay where you're at, or you deserve better than what you're accepting. These are value based statements. They lift people, challenge people, and guide them to more. And I'll share a quick story. Years ago, I worked with a team that was deeply discouraged budget cuts,
long hours, no recognition. One day I asked the group a simple question, what would make today feel like it mattered? Not a big strategy session, just that one question. Their answers had nothing to do with money. They said, I want to know if I'm doing a good job. I'd like to be thanked once in a while, and I want to feel like someone notices how hard I'm trying.
So I changed the way I spoke to them. I made it a point to time my leadership communication to what they valued, and in about three weeks, morale changed, output improved, people stayed not because I gave a raise or added staff, but because I started speaking their language, the language of value. So here's your challenge for this week. In every interaction with your team, ask yourself, is what I'm about to say valuable to them? Will this message
give them clarity, hope or purpose? Am I using language that makes them feel like an asset and not a number. If the answer is no, you have to rewrite your message. Because great leadership is not about volume, It's about value per word. So make sure you speak the language of value and you'll never have to raise your voice to be heard. This has been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.
For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.