Do your words have real actions backing them up?
Is today just another day off making a long weekend … or are you actually reflecting on the life and impact of Martin Luther King Jr.?
Think back to after George Floyd’s murder…what did you commit to doing? How well have you followed that commitment?
Use your voice for those who don’t have a voice.
That will make today meaningful.
It takes far more than changing your profile picture to a black square.
Words work but only if there are actions behind them to make your intentions happen.
Words That Work Communicate Your Purpose, Your Performance, and Your Profit. Order your copy at your favorite local bookstore to support your local small business. Or you can preorder it online at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, Target, Booktopia.au, Waterstones, Amazon.ca
Launching:
🇬🇧 & 🌎 Jan 3rd
🇺🇸 & 🇨🇦 Jan 25th
If you want to pre order additional copies for your team or event let me know and I can extend special offers and discounts to you.
Dedicated to growing your business,
Val
P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/
Why Truth Telling Is Important and How You Can Make It Happen
Do you really know if everyone around you is being honest with you? No one wants to be lied to, yet untruths are everywhere. No one wants to admit they may occasionally lie, but they hypocritically expect everyone else to always tell the truth.
Growing up, I was told white lies are okay if they prevent someone’s feelings being hurt, but when do little white lies turn big and dangerous? Just like the American TV show Big Little Lies featuring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, the little lies can rapidly spiral out of control with disastrous consequences.
“That’s not what I ordered; I wanted a latte,” Adam Konran, editor of Forbes magazine, told the barista at WeWork’s corporate headquarters in 2015.1 “Oh, we call lattes cappuccinos, and cappuccinos lattes, around here!” the barista enthusiastically replied, much to Konran’s surprise. Why the coffee confusion? It all began when WeWork CEO Adam Neumann insisted that his preferred coffee drink was called a latte, when he actually wanted a cappuccino. Did anyone tell him the truth, correct him, and explain his mistake? Absolutely not. Instead, the barista and all the employees at the headquarters renamed the coffee drinks to fit with what Neumann incorrectly believed they were called based on his preference of frothy foam versus steamed milk.
Do you think your team would tell you if you got the coffee description wrong?
This almost unbelievable tale is the modern-day version of the emperor who has no clothes. Not one single person at WeWork felt they could tell Neumann the truth about coffee. Instead, it became a widespread part of the WeWork culture of drink ordering. Every time any intern, new employee, senior executive, or visitor ordered a coffee, they played along, changing the name, explaining to those not in the know the façade that had been built because of their CEO. Which begs the question, if they were dishonest about coffee, what else were they covering up or lying about?
The most successful executives are comfortable being told they are wrong, openly invite debate, and actively encourage those around them to tell them that they are wrong.
Can you remember the last time someone spotted your mistake? How did you react? That is what teaches those around you how ready you are to hear the truth.
If you want to distinguish between the truth and a well-intended lie read the first chapter of Words That Work here. It provides inside access to CEOs who have been lied to and how they were able to create a company where contagious truth telling led to profit and revenue beyond everyone’s expectations.
It reviews some of the biggest little lies in recent corporate history and why they matter, let’s you start your Words That Work journey at the most crucial point, making sure you are being told the truth, can share the truth, and know how to spot a lie.
Words That Work Communicate Your Purpose, Your Performance, and Your Profit. Order your copy at your favorite local bookstore to support your local small business. Or you can preorder it online at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, Target, Booktopia.au, Waterstones, Amazon.ca
Launching:
🇬🇧 & 🌎 Jan 3rd
🇺🇸 & 🇨🇦 Jan 25th
If you want to pre order additional copies for your team or event let me know and I can extend special offers and discounts to you.
How To Improve The Way You Communicate To Get Results
Take a moment before your next important conversation. Pay attention to how much time you spend preparing your report, spreadsheet, or presentation slides compared to the actual words you will use.
Think about the first words you will say at the start of the conversation…and the final words you will end with to increase the probability you will get what you want.
Plan it
Write it down
Practice it
Reflect on what works and repeat or adjust.
I wrote my third book because executives I work with kept sharing the results they achieved when they used the words I suggested they use in board rooms, on stage, and in conversations with their teams, bosses and investors. You can hear their feedback below.
Ask yourself:
Do you wish you had more truth tellers at your company?
Do you wonder how to effectively share feedback to increase performance?
Do you wish you could confidently step on stage and engage your audience?
Do you want to learn how to prepare and deliver great media interviews?
Do you wonder how you can be true to your own purpose and values in how you lead?
Those are some of the many questions that get answered in Words That Work: Communicate Your Purpose, Your Performance, and Your Profit.
But don’t listen to me, listen to what these executives have to say:
“As the CEO of my own STREAM foundation and creator of STEM-based cooking classes & workshops, the advice in this book is super valuable. It is full of new ways of how to put your customers at the heart of your company, manage your external media relationships, and lead with purpose, heart, and passion. As a 16 year old business owner, this book gives me the playbook for continuing to grow my business to new heights! Your work, advice, and tools are priceless information for any business entrepreneur. “
Simone Bridges, CEO Goddess Food Factory, Founder Simone Bridges Inspires Inc
“Val has made the ultimate guide to business communication. “Words that Work” is full of suggestions and alternative statements that open up communication. I am excited to have this new tool that will help me improve my ability to ask questions and affirm what others are saying.”
Rachel Canales, Chief of Staff, Lenovo Global Accounts/Chief Customer Advocate
“Val Wright has been an immensely valuable strategic advisor to me surrounding innovation and leadership through acquisitions and an IPO. I have considered her previous books required reading for any executive responsible for leading people through growth and change, and her clear, insightful voice will put her new book on the top of my recommended reading list. In her characteristic style, Val provides candid advice every leader needs to navigate innovation, communicate with impact, harness emotions, and actively manage external and internal communications. The easy-to-read format addresses the many situations executives will go through when they are asked to create outcomes that stretch beyond the current trajectory of the business.”
John Schneider, Chief Marketing Officer, Betterworks
“Val’s third book sets us on a path to the essential art of truth-telling in business. I’ve used Val’s Words in many situations and it’s true, they do just work! The practical examples in this book will allow every leader to speak more boldly which will grow their business and career.”
Susan Potter, Vice President of Digital Experience, Hootsuite
“This book is a culmination of Val’s wise counsel she has given me over the last few years. Just the right words at the exact right moment. Every leader needs to read this book and benefit from this confidence building positivity. The world needs to hear from more incredible badass uplifting women like Val.”
Ronalee Zarate-Bayani, Chief Marketing Officer, Newlight Technologies
Words That Work Communicate Your Purpose, Your Performance, and Your Profit. Order your copy at your favorite local bookstore to support your local small business. Or you can preorder it online at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, Target, Booktopia.au, Waterstones, Amazon.ca
Launching:
🇬🇧 & 🌎 Jan 3rd
🇺🇸 & 🇨🇦 Jan 25th
If you want to pre order additional copies for your team or event let me know and I can extend special offers and discounts to you.
Wishing you a wonderful start to 2022!
Dedicated to growing your business,
Val