Last week I introduced you to permissive statements, e.g., “Feel free to…give me honest feedback about my blog.”
This week I want to introduce you to their companions: assurances (definition: statement to relieve doubt).
Anyone can use assurances to set clear yet flexible lines of accountability, both for themselves (e.g., “I will always attend team meetings or I will notify the team prior to my absence,” or for their fellow team members (e.g., “We will attend all scheduled meetings or notify the team lead as soon as possible if we will be absent.”)
When we sprinkle assurances and permissive statements into our conversations with our superiors, our peers, and our subordinates, we are setting the stage for elevated individual and group behaviors.
When we and our team members act on the assurances and permissions, then we are achieving the better behaviors and thus better team outcomes.
You don’t have to be anyone special to use assurances and permissive statements in your day-to-day interactions at work, at home, or in your community.
You just have to choose to say them…then–most importantly–act on them.
You can do it.
You will change everything if you do.
Why not try?
A rising tide floats all boats.” – John F. Kennedy
William Cho via Compfight
[Author’s Note: I had originally wanted to call assurances “expectation statements”, but a quick web search convinced me that term “expectation statement” is overly stated and–I hypothesize–rarely delivered. Another pitfall of calling them expectation statements would be that too often people think expectations are only what supervisors can have for employees or leaders for followers. That’s too narrow an assumption for what I’m trying to achieve.]
