To acknowledge complexity, make use of probabilistic language
I fully subscribe to the idea illustrated by L. David Marquet's "Leadership Is Language" book. Despite whether you believe in it or not, even if only from the mere metaphorical power level, you look at the way the world is narrated as coming to existence in the Bible, and there you have that very same notion: everything comes from words, from speaking out.
Put in another way, words not only have meaning, but some kind of underlying power that shouldn't be underestimated.
I have been thinking about one area in particular because it's a problem close to home in my work gig. And interesting enough, I can connect that to a personal little story as well…
For some time, I have kind of "self-punished" for often utilizing language which is not that deterministic, or some would say not that assertive (literally have heard that from a coach once). Meaning to use lots of "shoulds" and "coulds"... "kind/sort of"... and expressions like that.
Until I had a bit of an epiphany about it - or at least I believe it was one (and this very text is an attempt to further examine that by "thinking out loud" here):
Could it be simply because my brain is "wired" to deal with the complex? In other words, because I can fully grasp that there are nuances and perspectives, that the world is essentially often non-linear, complex, intricate, and all of that, and maybe my natural selection of words is a way to cater for that, to a large extent?
I think I can defend that to be frequently the case. That said, I am self-aware and at least try to avoid overdoing it and using more deterministic language when it can be, when it makes things clearer and that is exactly what I want because uncertainty is not so much there, for instance. Sounds like a win-win to me…
Anyway, back to the actual issue I wanted to write about here, in the first place. World is essentially often non-linear, complex, intricate, and all of that. What does that entail when it comes to leadership being language, and why do I see a need to use more probabilistic language?
A favorite recent one is how we go about putting some strategy to action by means of communicating a kind of plan. What would traditionally people and organizations often expect or talk about in such a case: roadmap. And if we stick to the meaning of the combined words there, we have something that most people would associate with something simple, at best complicated (if you assume a road network with some different possible routes to get from one place to another). It's primarily deterministic - or at least quite close to that.
Although you may try to properly communicate, it shouldn't be taken like that, with disclaimers, etc. Maybe the word itself is not helping. What if we could use alternative more accurate language, in the sense of what we want to communicate, thus ultimately more probabilistic language?!
Now, I don't necessarily have anything to offer, top of my mind. I am actually not that creative when it comes to giving names - my kids have fairly simple and ordinary names, for example. But, assuming we don't want to be too off from the current underlying general concept behind the notion of a roadmap, it has to be something around the idea of bets and path (as it gives a similar notion than a roadmap, but with more openness of where you can or cannot go), for instance.
What about Betpath?! How does that one sound like? Any better ideas, anyone?
by Rodrigo Sperb, feel free to connect (I only refuse invites from people clearly with an agenda to ‘coldly’ sell something to me), happy to engage and interact