When you’re an entrepreneur, you have to be very careful how you communicate. The job itself is 50% made up of conveying instructions, motivating team member, and dealing with vendors, etc.
When so much talking is involved, the words one uses are of the utmost importance. What may be even more essential knowledge is of the words or phrases to avoid. Read on below to find out what these are and why a successful entrepreneur would never say them.
1. “It’s Impossible/Not Possible”
An entrepreneur should be open to any new ideas or methods. If all is going along well, it is easy to feel comfortable. Plus, an employee or team member may come up with an idea that seems unfeasible. However, it is part of an entrepreneur’s job to consider future plans. If the markets are stable now, it will not always be this way.
One market strategy may be fine today, but a company eventually has to expand, move forward, and change with the times. So when an entrepreneur expresses disbelief or dismissiveness towards any idea, it discourages those under him. Hence, an entrepreneur needs to encourage innovative ways of thinking. Moreover, brilliant but seemingly overreaching ideas can very well come to life with a little effort and faith.
2. “We Don’t Need New Ideas/ I Just Need One Good Idea”
It just might be that you were lucky with your first product or line of service. However, getting stuck with the same thing is not a good idea, especially at the rate the world is changing.
Therefore, successful entrepreneurs would never say the above phrases. Rather, they would always be looking around for new inspirations and new ideas to motivate themselves and their teams. This could be the start of plans to launch a new product, expand their company reach, or even pivot an existing product. For instance, a tea maker would definitely have been open to a new idea when they invented tea bags.
Plus, an entrepreneur would know how valuable employee input is. Employees work within the system and thus know best how to make it more efficient. A successful entrepreneur is hence one who listens to the ideas of those under them. They can then brainstorm or research and decide if the idea is viable or not.
3. “I Don’t Have Time”
An entrepreneur, by default, is always busy. He has to come up with solutions to problems, make profits, and decide what to do with them. Additionally, he has to oversee numerous projects, employees, and ultimately be responsible for all of them. So it’s possible that every entrepreneur has uttered or thought along the lines of simply having no time for anything else.
However, when an entrepreneur says this to an eager employee, he plays a role in demotivating the other person. If the tone itself is harsh, dismissive, or over bearing, it makes things even worse. This could lead to a lack of loyalty within the workforce. In general, it would cause an air of resentment and unhappiness.
If you genuinely cannot take time out for everyone who wants it, try deflecting them as gently as possible. You could hire an assistant to filter out the real problems from the petty ones. For instance, you should not get directly involved in a personal disagreement between two employees.
In any case, your tone should be under control. You can also try rephrasing the words, such as saying ‘It’s not a good time’, and offer to get back to them later.
4. “It’s Perfect/ Just What I Wanted/ It Doesn’t Get Better Than This”
While all these are positive phrases, they are quite dangerous for an entrepreneur. The person in charge of a company should not fling praise about quite so freely. In fact, it is more in line with his job to scrutinize every project or outcome produced. If there are any flaws, loopholes, or shortfalls, it is the entrepreneur’s responsibility to catch them.
After the scrutiny, however, it is good to give praise and credit if the person or team has earned it. However, one should not call anything man made perfect, since there is always room for improvement. While these phrases may buoy up an employee, for the time being, it could highly demotivate others. Plus, the person who produced such a good result the first time may feel that they can’t do any better now.
Wrap-Up…
When an entrepreneur is speaking, he knows that all eyes and ears and trained on him. Hence, he should adopt an effective style and tone, along with choosing the correct words. Whatever comes out of his mouth could make or break his success.
It is natural to harbor doubts and even a bit of pessimism. However, it is better to use negative thoughts in the shape of a precaution rather than as a way of managing a company. It is far better and more progressive to display a positive mindset as an entrepreneur.