Us not Them
Small words carry weight.
I've noticed how we are constantly bombarded by “Us or Them” or “Me or You.” Once we start to divide with those simple choices, the division does not stop. It can seep into every person, every community, every department and every team member. Some of the strongest teams and high-culture organizations can fall with these decisions.
In my experience, the best organization builders and top performers understand something simple. Their success is tied to the success of the people around them. They don't create division through me versus you or us versus them. They lean into we and us.
If you listen inside great organizations you hear simple language from leaders. When something goes wrong, they don't immediately ask, “What should you have done differently?” or “Why did they let this happen?” Instead they ask, “What can we do? What can we learn? How do we solve this together?”
That is not avoiding accountability. It is the highest form of it. Blame points at a person. Accountability points at the problem and asks all of us to own our part in solving it. Small words carry weight.
Changing “you” to “we” can bind a team, build trust between partners and take a little heat out of an already divided world.
This week, notice the moment something goes sideways and you feel the pull toward he, she, you or them.
Stop for a second. Then make the choice. Perhaps it will move beyond the organization, to all of us.
We didn't get here alone. We aren't getting where we're going alone.