As I mentioned in my previous post, the language we use to describe our career, and the stories we tell ourselves about it, can greatly shape our trajectory. Whenever I’m giving a Power Voice training to a group of women, I listen carefully to their words and reflect them back, so that each woman can hear herself clearly. What I often discover is that there are 4 magic words that are missing from the language they use to describe how they want to advance in their careers.
This type of language occurs in performance reviews and job interviews, but it can also be present during daily one-on-one dialogue with managers and/or Senior leadership. In a nutshell, anytime you’re expressing what you want to accomplish in your current role, and especially what you’d like to do in your career trajectory, you need to use the 4 Magic Words:
“So that I can….”
Here’s how you can put the 4 Magic Words to work in a performance review. After you and your manager are done discussing your recent job performance, you can then introduce the subject of what you want to do going forward, both in your current role and in your overall career. That’s when the 4 Magic Words come into play. First I’ll show you how your communication looks and sounds without them:
“Next quarter I want to shift my focus away from compiling weekly product reports, and toward seeking out new trends for our products.
This is a clear, concise sentence. But it doesn’t give enough context for your request, or create excitement around the action you propose to take. Generating emotions like excitement and interest are crucial for stakeholder buy-in, and without the 4 Magic Words you won’t get much impact. Here’s how they can help:
“Next quarter I want to shift my focus away from compiling weekly product reports, and toward seeking out new trends for our products, so that I can identify new markets and help drive greater growth.”
See the difference? Now you’ve painted a clear and compelling picture of what you want to accomplish, and what kind of result you want to get. This sentence also shows that you have long-term vision, and that you’re thinking about the overall health of the company, not just your place inside it. Demonstrating this type of initiative and vision can help you stand out and stay competitive in a crowded company landscape.
When you’re in a job interview (which is actually a co-interview between you and your potential new employer), it’s especially important to paint a vivid picture of what you hope to accomplish in the new role, so that they can understand how you see yourself and your own career potential. Setting expectations up front can also help you achieve greater success in your new role. Here’s an example of before and after the 4 Magic Words in this context:
“In this role I would concentrate on building an experienced team.”
“In this role I would concentrate on building an experienced team, so that I take our product development to a global level, and generate at least 30% more revenue worldwide.”
That’s a big improvement in context which includes a self-appointed metric (make sure you can back this up with examples of your previous successes), and a vivid picture of how your action would benefit the overall company in the long term. Positioning yourself as the leader of this action signals that you have confidence in your ability to get the job done (again, back it up with past success!).
Those in leadership positions can also benefit from using a variation on the 4 Magic Words. Many high-level leaders I work with are very consumed with high-level language, which often involves long acronyms, strange metaphors, and complex data analysis that is boring at best, and incomprehensible at worst. If your language is too obtuse you might be perceived as gatekeeping valuable information about goals and objectives. In order to gain the trust of everyone in your company’s ecosystem, you need to be able to articulate your vision in a compelling way that engages everyone, not just the other high-level leaders in your circle. Also, as a leader you set the tone for your company’s overall work culture. Hiding your own enthusiasm and passion for the company’s goals could lead to a dry, unfulfilling, and unengaged work environment where employees don’t feel connected to a larger sense of purpose. So instead of something like this:
“Our primary focus in the next 18 months should be boosting our DNRS backlog while incorporating T-48 and R-49 components.”
You can use this variation on the 4 Magic Words to clarify the purpose of your proposed action, and drive excitement for what it will accomplish:
“Our primary focus in the next 18 months should be boosting our DNRS backlog while incorporating T-48 and R-49 components, so that we can create new markets and work toward our goal of achieving a 12% market share.”
I advise my clients to use clear, concise and compelling language in all their professional communication. Most people can learn to be clear and concise, but being compelling takes a lot more effort. Adding the 4 Magic Words will help you get there. Contact me for info about all my Power Voice group trainings and private session packages. I love hearing from you!