Motivational

Rule 62: Talk one step ahead

November 9, 2016

Nigeria’s Nollywood Actor, Kenneth Okonkwo

How
does your boss talk? I assume it is
their job you want. If it ain’t whose
job is it? Or have I been wasting my
time here? Come on, whose job do you
want? Let’s start with the boss. How does your boss talk?

What
do I mean – how do they talk? I’ll
explain. It isn’t their accent or
pronunciation – how they sound – but the content, what they say. I bet you talk in terms of ‘I’ whereas your boss will probably use ‘we’ much more. You might speak from a worker’s point of
view, whereas they will speak on behalf of the company.

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The
more senior you go the less likely you are to:

·
Chatter
inanely

·
Gossip

·
Swear

·
Talk
about last night’s TV or any other issues that have no relevance to the work
being done – bosses tend to be much more focused and less inclined to waste
time.

·
Rabbit
on – bosses tend to be more thoughtful and pause before speaking (or at least
the good ones do).

“When I say aloof I
do not mean arrogant. I’m sure you will have encountered lots of managers who
make this simple mistake. Arrogance has
no place at work. Arrogance is conceit
and fake importance”

So
if you are going to talk one step up, you need to be more thoughtful, talk
about issues that are relevant, talk in terms of ‘we’ rather than ‘I’, be
focused and dynamic, keep personal details to yourself – bosses don’t chatter
or gossip about their social lives.

I
guess what you have to do is be the grown-up and speak to the other workers as
children. You become aloof and slightly
withdrawn, mature and responsible, dependable and conscientious.

When
I say aloof I do not mean arrogant. I’m sure you will have encountered lots of
managers who make this simple mistake.
Arrogance has no place at work.
Arrogance is conceit and fake importance. Aloofness is being slightly withdrawn, being
detached, being superior by dint of experience, skill and natural ability.