13 TAN UPDATE 10.28.2022 - The first word to find & replace in your daily vocabulary

When one small word replacement has a big strategic impact, the strategy behind "ease and grace" becomes a real thing.

— Rachel Richter —

Have you ever heard of the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule? This theory shares that 20% of your effort (the input), is responsible for approximately 80% of the results, the impact created (the output).This is also true regarding alignment: when creating greater alignment with yourself, your circle, and the life you choose (personally & professionally), your efforts involved fall within the 20% of input responsible for 80% of the results and impact created.

The same can be applied to a group of individuals, teams and organizations: the effort expended to create greater alignment between a team / organization and itself, its mission, and its stakeholders is responsible for major impact and results.

So here’s a quick aligned language trick to effortlessly create greater alignment & bigger impact by switching one little word in your daily vocabulary. 🙌

What if you replace the word “but” with “yes and” in 80% your communication with yourself and with others?What would happen over time?

The language of alignment is the language of allowing, of choice, of curiosity, & of invitation. To build bridges and collaborate more effectively, use language that supports connection between people & between ideas.“Yes and” expands on the conversation and maintains the conversation flow instead of stopping the flow and changing directions.“But” is restrictive language that drives disconnection between people & between ideas. Use This to Effortlessly Question Assumptions Replacing “but” with “yes and” enables you and those you engage with to easily challenge deeply held assumptions about what is possible or correct.It does this by turning opposing options or points into something to be connected and explored without first deciding which one is "right".🧠 It allows us to question “the one right way” that we think things should be. It allows us to see connections between ideas that we previously didn't. And when we explore ideas in this manner, often things aren't as mutually exclusive or at odds as we might have thought. How I Practice This Professionally At INLIGN, we are intentional about using "yes and" rather than "but" as a matter of course.I have unlocked value (time, effort, revenue, savings, etc.) when discussing challenges and opportunities using this language during meetings and during my own deep thought work.We have found & carved new paths for our strategy, our clients, and the practice of alignment itself.And of course, the best part is the level of effort required to receive this benefit — replace one three-letter word with two three-letter words...

Yes and...you don't need to be perfect at this, just intentional Calling someone in and building bridges can only happen when that person feels recognized (i.e. seen and heard). "Yes and” lets you build bridges intentionally while "but” often erects unintentional roadblocks.

So the next time you hear yourself saying “but”, pause and replace it with “yes and” to benefit from a space conducive to creating alignment, results, and impact.

🧐 Found value from reading this? Who in your circle could benefit from having the opportunity to read this too?Be a catalyst for better connection — share this with intention. After all, this is exactly why I am sharing it with you, ! ✨May you have a wonderful weekend,Rachel