Published
Change your language and grow your company
April 1, 2003
When the company doesn't need another you
Not too long ago, I found myself facing into the full fury of a first-person-singular storm. You've experienced one of these I'm sure. It sounds like: "I've just…," "I need to…," and "then I can…" Since I wasn't needed much in the conversation, I had time to think.
I looked around and saw that I wasn't alone in hearing this. All around us were people with a variety of skills, involved in an assortment of activities. In other words, the company. But "the company" in this sense was nowhere in the conversation.
This happens way too often.
Most entrepreneurs and professionals start off in business full of bright hopes, big investments, and maybe even new degrees. They are justifiably proud of all their work and effort. Perhaps they hang their own name over the door as the company name.
While this isn't an awful place to start, necessity and practice can get the business person into trouble. They develop a habit of thinking of the business as identical with themselves. Then, sooner or later, the business grows.
Employees are needed, maybe one or two, maybe a lot. But the founder still thinks and speaks solo, with the first person singular as the company logo and their personal profile as the performance criterion for every position. They draw people into the business who are a reflection themselves but not a fit for the company's needs.
When the company is limited to "I've just…," "I need to…," and "then I can …," the real requirements for the many things it has to do get obscured and the real accomplishments of a business standing on its own many feet either get denied or undermined.
There used to be a restriction against using the word "I" in formal writing, mostly because it was thought to undermine the work's credibility to provide only personal experiences and reactions. As a business person, is the way you talk about your business doing this?
Here's a challenging exercise to try for ONE DAY. (You might as well know ahead of time that this is not going to be easy. One day is probably all you can commit to, now isn't it?) Each time you're about to use the word "I" in a sentence, try substituting:
"We"
"The company"
"The firm"
"Your Company Name"
By the end of one day of committed effort, you may hear:
"We need you to complete the reservations by tomorrow morning."
"The company needs someone who can take responsibility for ordering."
"The firm feels that this is not the right investment at this time."
"Solo, Inc. is proud to announce the opening of its new branch in Mabank."
If you're attentive (and honest), you may be surprised by how often you want to make yourself the centerpiece of talk that rightfully belongs to the firm. And when you realize that, you're on the road to seeing "the company" in a clearer light and making the right choices of people and activities to grow it. Remember, the business can't grow to its full capacity if you try to contain it within the boundaries of your own personality and capabilities. Tell people it's more. Talk about it as an independent entity standing on its own many feet.
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