Moshe’s Blog

How Violence in Business Language Hurts You and Your Organization: 4 Simple Steps to Make it Better

Hunt, Capture, Kill – This is How We Treat Customers?

“We hire two kinds of people – hunters and skinners. Hunters bring in the kill, and skinners turn the kill into food.” This was the recruiting language of ‘headhunters’ in big management consulting firms in the ‘90s when I got out of grad school and was exploring consulting careers (I ended up starting my own firm).

Now it’s 30 years later and people in business still routinely use violent and predatory metaphors, often without even thinking about it: Crush the competition, capture customers, exploit the market, make battle plans… it’s all over the place!

Do you believe business needs to be warlike?

Is using violence-laden, predatory, and warlike language in your work okay with you?

Are you willing to replace it with more compassionate and caring words – even if you get pushback?

Predatory language in business promotes a bizarrely warlike relationship such that the organization “wins” when its customers are overpowered, dominated, and beaten. It also diminishes us and our companies; it hardens our hearts.

My goal with the love-powered Amare Way is to radically change that dynamic by inviting every leader at every level to consciously choose their words and recognize their impact. Some examples from SSM Health, a large Catholic healthcare system:

~~Capturing markets~~ —— Securing markets

~~Target audiences~~ —— Intended audiences

~~Take a stab at it~~ —— Give it a try

4 Simple Amare Steps to Transform the Language of Business

1. Start by noticing your language. Pay attention to the words you and your colleagues use, with whom, and under what conditions. Keep count of violence-laden words for a week. Notice too how you react when you use or hear others use fighting and predatory language at work.

2. Develop replacements for 10 violent phrases. First list 10 words or phrases with predatory or warlike connotations that are often used in your organization. Now do a heart-storming session with your team and come up with alternatives.

3. Make policies for better language. Establish formal communication policies banning language that connotes violence and provide replacement words. Make clear the connection between these policies and your company culture, values, and purpose.

4. Empower yourself by learning more. Read this free six pager on business language from Chapter 4 of my book called “A Short in the Hardwiring: How We’ve Adopted a Business as War Mentality.” Do the self-assessment to rate your language. Get inspired by the SSM Health story too.

Your words, thoughts, and actions are all connected. Making little changes in the language you use can snowball into a powerful transformation toward love-powered business and leadership. What a lovely way to start this new year!

For more on why and how to become a conscious, happy, fulfilled, and love-powered leader, read my other Inc. leadership articles here, and watch this free and short Master Class renowned executive educator, Marshall Goldsmith, and I created.

Support Your Own Growth

Start the year by being the leader you really want to be. Allow yourself the help of a top-notch leadership coach. Contact me and I’ll point you to resources that will powerfully support your growth and development. The world needs you, needs us all, to step up into leading with the energy of love.