Shannon Waller's Team Success

“Staff,” “Employees,” Or “Team Members”: Why Language Matters

Jun 13, 2024

Shannon Waller, an expert on language and team dynamics, delves into how terminology shapes workplace culture. She discusses the implications of calling people 'staff' versus 'team members,' highlighting that the former fosters a bureaucratic mindset while the latter promotes collaboration. By shifting language, businesses can enhance engagement and unlock individual potential. Waller emphasizes that treating people as unique contributors rather than mere costs can transform team performance and create a more vibrant work environment.

13:35

Creator website

Episode guests

Shannon Waller

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The language leaders use to refer to their team members significantly impacts engagement, creativity, and overall workplace dynamics.

Viewing team members as valuable investments rather than costs fosters a high-performance culture, encouraging personal growth and significant contributions.

Deep dives

The Impact of Language on Team Dynamics

The way leaders refer to their team members significantly influences workplace dynamics and engagement levels. Terms like 'staff' invoke a bureaucratic mindset that can stifle creativity and make team members feel like mere cogs in a machine. Similarly, the designation of 'employees' often leads to a perception of expendability and replaces the focus on individual contribution with a more transactional view. By shifting to the term 'team members,' a more collaborative and supportive culture is fostered, emphasizing the unique value and contributions that each individual brings to the team.

The Power of Language in Team Dynamics

14min

Are you struggling with a lack of alert, curious, responsive, and resourceful people in your business? Here, Shannon Waller takes a look at the frequently overlooked importance of the language you use when talking about the people operating in your business. By shifting your mindset regarding this one term, you can unlock the full potential of your team and elevate their performance. Tune in to learn how to transform your team into a powerhouse of unique individuals making impactful contributions together.

Download Episode Transcript

Show Notes:

The language you use to refer to the people you’ve hired to work with you (“staff,” “employees,” or “team members”) reflects different mindsets and can impact engagement and performance.
The term “staff” suggests bureaucracy, formality, and viewing people as fulfilling roles rather than as unique and creative individuals.
“Employee” is more neutral but can still imply a transactional, replaceable view of team members.
Referring to people as “team members” emphasizes their unique contributions and the collaborative, team-based nature of the work.
How you think about your people is reflected in your actions.
- “Staff” and “employees” are frequently counted as FTEs and costs.
- Businesses think of costs as something to minimize, to make as efficient as possible, and to be cut as necessary to improve profits.
- People who are treated as costs—like the office paper supply—can feel they’re being treated as things and not as people.
Treating team members as investments rather than costs leads to better results.
- With investments, you put a little in to get a lot more in return.
- When you nourish unique capabilities in people, their contributions expand in ways you could not have predicted.
When people don’t work out as investments:
- Have you made sure you’ve found the right people who are motivated by their work and aligned with your business?
- Do they have the capacity for their role?
- Keeping bad investments is not good for your business in the long term. You may need to subtract so you can multiply.
Dan Sullivan says, “I’m just a team member here. I just have a unique set of skills, and that’s what I want to do. I need a ton of other people to make the projects that I want to be a part of happen.”
Dan’s commitment to his own Unique Ability^® contribution to the business reinforces his commitment to supporting the Unique Ability contributions of everyone else on his team.
Ask your team how they feel about the language used to describe them. Pay attention to how you refer to people no matter whom you’re speaking with.
People want to know they’re valued as individuals and trusted to find opportunities to contribute the best way they know how.