I have embraced swimming fairly late in life and learning as an adult often comes with baggage. I suffer from imposter syndrome when I take part in any sport, and this was exacerbated when I started swimming drills – there were very few that explained what you had to do and there was an assumed level of experience.
It took me a couple of weeks to push past my fears and find something that explained things in plain English. I am sure that I am not alone - how often have you been in a meeting when you don’t understand an acronym that’s being used? But who wants to be the one to ask for a definition in front of peers?
Often, people are in the same boat, and they are grateful when someone else asks the question. And I know this is true as I once changed an acronym in a meeting and not one person asked me what it stood for!
Language can be complex, and it can also be associated with something or someone. Take creativity – I truly believe that everyone is creative, but creativity is often associated with certain departments in companies and if you’re not in that department you may not feel like you have ‘permission to be creative.’ Finding a way to use more inclusive language can help to achieve a better result.
Most of the time, the words are triggering a fear in us – fear of looking stupid, fear of the unknown, fear of ‘getting it wrong’, fear of failure. And yet if we have the courage to step forward and throw an idea into the ring or ask for a definition and show some vulnerability then it will be an enriching experience where we learn about ourselves and can grow. And the anticipation is often much worse than the actual thing itself!
We can all create safe supportive environments where people feel they can ask questions and can fail. It is about choosing the language and the way we communicate. A spontaneous brainstorm may work for some people, but other personality types may want time to reflect and formulate ideas beforehand so allowing for everyone to participate fully will help.
As a manager, showing your own vulnerability about what you don’t know will help to create that culture. As Susan David says, “Abandon the idea of being fearless. Instead walk directly into your fears, with your values as your guide, towards what matters to you. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is fear walking.”
Written by Rosanna Machado, Executive Coach at alterniq inspired growth
