Stop and think about those whom you consider “great leaders.” What makes them so? Are they the ones who know all of the ins and outs of an operation and could move mountains by themselves if need be? You know as well as I that the definition of a great leader is quite the contrary to the one-person moving machine. Rather, great leaders know just how to inspire an entire team on both the big projects and through the daily grind. And, both scenarios are important.

Great leaders are often defined not by their grand gestures but, rather, by the subtleties that exist in their styles. The language they use is part of their own leadership success. Danny Iny identifies powerful words included in the everyday vocabulary of the most strong, effective leaders:

“And.” Using “and” immediately identifies a leader’s openness to options. There is certainly little point of going through a painstaking process of vetting the right people to hold positions if the skills sets and brain power for which they were hired aren’t tapped. Of course, those people have different perspectives, so it is necessary to have a leader who is open to acknowledging and considering a variety of possibilities before landing on a course of action.

“Why?” One of the most limiting courses of action in life, much less in the workplace, is to go forth blindly to the tune of, “That’s just what we do,” or “That’s what I know.” Ugh. There’s no room for development or innovation in those lines of thinking! Asking “Why” stimulates a thought process allowing challenge to the norm and evaluation of different options. It is possible the outcome of the question is that things, right now, remain the same. But, that’s okay because everyone goes forth with certainty that the way things are is truly the best and not just a continuation of the status quo. Asking “Why?” needs to be viewed as a productive opportunity for understanding and not a challenge or threat to the intelligence or position of others.

“Tell Me More.” I remember a parent educator once teaching me that a great response to children’s artwork is to enthusiastically state, “Tell me about this!” rather than gushing, “It’s beautiful!” (whether it is or isn’t). Doing so not only prompts the child to investigate and articulate his or her own ideas, but it also allows the art recipient to gain insight into how s/he sees the world. Of course, there are those times when, “Tell me about this” is also a tactic to understand an indecipherable product!

This question comes from great leaders under the same, general concept as the child’s artwork scenario. By asking the team for further explanation about an idea, the leader finds out more about how different employees think and approach problems. As a leader, take the time to really listen to the members of the team. Not only will they feel valued, but their opportunities to provide input only increase the probability of pursuing the best ideas and solutions.

“Whether.” Iny offers this word for use when in the position to figure out “how” to do something. He states, “We often get caught up in the ‘how,’ but we don’t stop to think ‘whether’ it is the best thing we should be doing.” For any variety of reasons, when handed a problem, the tendency is to jump right into a solution without really vetting the intended approach. Make sure all of the important pieces are in place before launching into action including understanding the expected outcome, knowing if the right people with the right skills sets are available to embark on the project, and that the project and its goals support the mission of the organization. Great leaders guide the team through this process before implementing a solution.

“What Do You Think We Should Do?” For many problems, a leader will either know how to solve it or be able to figure it out. But, that’s not ideal. Not only does the leader have a number of responsibilities overseeing the bigger picture, but by pushing forth with only his or her own ideas, the staff becomes just a group of worker bees rather than genuinely contributing to the overall mission. Great leaders give their teams the opportunity to grow by contributing to solutions and plans. Really great leaders allow employees ownership of a solution and its outcome when it’s from them that the solution originated.

There is nothing grandiose about any of these words or questions. But, the potential outcome they generate is inspiring! When in a leadership role at any level, pay attention to the language used to ensure the best motivation and outcome of the team!

Iny, Danny. “5 Words and Phrases Powerful Leaders Always Use.” Inc. Mansueto Ventures. 2016. Web. (25 July 2016)

Nancy Stoker is a Senior Client Services Representative and Research Associate with ExecSearches.com. ExecSearches provides various recruitment and executive search services for nonprofits including its nonprofit job board.