Stop saying my team and start saying us

Stop saying my team and start saying usStop saying my team and start saying usDo yur employees work for you, or with you? When discussing team accomplishments, do you say we or me? Is your employee staff or a colleague? Do you say my team instead of this team?How you describe your employeesmatters, because it does a lot to signal autonomy. Workers who feel autonomous tend to be mora effective. Using inclusive languagein the workplace is a small but significant way that employees and employers can create a positive workplace culture and signal that everyones voice is welcome at the table.Leaders can break down hierarchiesAs a boss, its important and humbling to remember that employees work for the company, not specifically for you. Even if theres a strong loyalty to an individual, most people in a corporate environment will feel a close identity tie to the company. As proof, bosses also change, and people dont leave with them very frequently.Heres one case study When John Timpson, CEO of a U.K. shoe chain was asked whether calling employees colleagues was disingenuous, Timpson,explained thatit wasnt.He knew that he was the boss, but he wanted to make a point to his employees about avoiding hierarchies We use the word colleague rather than staff or employee because we want everyone to recognize that the usual rules of command and control dont apply at Timpson.We thought hard but couldnt find a better name than colleague. Neither associate nor teammate felt right. Comrade gave the wrong vibes and, although partner is perfect for John Lewis, our people dont have shares in the business.The royal we is different from the teamwork weKing Henry II started using the royal we in proclamationsto show his constituents that he was speaking on behalf of himself and for God. Its a good strategy for a King its hard to argue with divine will.Now that most Western monarchies are only for show, the context around the word has changed and aHarvard Business Review article argues th at leaders who use plural pronouns like the royal we are landseen to bemore inclusive, considerate leaders.The researchers studied pronoun use among individuals inthe workplace and found that it would signal a persons position in the workplace.Workers who were lower on the totem pole used more singular pronouns like I compared to people at the top. Leaders would use more we pronouns compared to their underlings. The researchers suggested that this was because pronouns help to signify a speakers focus of attention and leaders needed to have more of an outward focus than other workers.By using more we and us, leaders were signaling that they were thinking beyond their individual needs and cared about the thoughts and feelings of others.Language signals respect and powerThere are takeaways outside of the workplace that we can look to as cautionary tales.The Chicago Tribune describedGreen Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the nameless ex-boyfriend of actress Olivia Munn in aheadl ine about their breakup. Some men were disgruntled at seeing Rodgers given short shrift, with one tweeting that the paper needed to respect that manWhether or not you agree with that opinion about Rodgers, thats what these language debates around possessive terms come down to individual respect.How you are definedin conversations signals how people seeyou and how you will be remembered. Employees and employers can signal that they see people as important whenthey make their language accessible and inclusive, so that employees feel empowered.