Credit others and add value by speaking in the language of “we.”

Leaders should avoid using the “I” word. With few exceptions, they should always be about team and use the word “we.”  As in “we were able to accomplish great things.”  Or, “we thought we had the right plan in place to solve the problem.”  “We” thanks your team and tells the client that your team was involved and contributed to the accomplishment.

The “we” word also adds value by reassuring those you are reporting to that other team members were working on their behalf.  Change one little word and suddenly you have assigned a whole team to the task, rather than one person, giving your client added value for their investment at no additional cost.

When you use the “I” word it says that you did it alone and your team had no involvement, which is most often not the case.  Generally, they hired a company to help them, yet when you say “I” it sounds as if they received only your thinking.  More importantly, other team members resent not getting credit for their contribution.

An excellent copywriter had the habit of saying “I” when she presented her copy and her reasons for writing and selling the product the way she did.  “We” pointed out to her that even though she wrote the words she was presenting, a team had contributed by doing research that helped her draw the correct conclusions in her copy.   An editor had proofed her work.  An account manager had contributed his thoughts to the creative brief, etc.  By using “we” she was acknowledging their contribution to all involved.  It is difficult to change old speech patterns, but she saw the light and eventually broke the “I” habit.

The exception to this rule is when a leader makes a tough or unpopular decision and wishes to take the heat off the team.  You can be the lone bad guy by saying, “I made the tough decision,” and thus protect others.

Sadly, some of the leaders who do use the “I” word will not recognize themselves in this post.  They are generally so self-centered and so all about them (“I”), that they just can’t comprehend it was a team that helped them achieve.