The old adage “The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword” was created by English author and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839. His thought process behind this saying was that our administrative power has more impact on our society or culture as a whole than direct violence ever could.
From our 3rd President Thomas Jefferson helping with writing/editing the Declaration of Independence, to American Minister Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writing his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, to Rapper/Actor and Activist Tupac Shakur writing a plethora of prolific songs and albums which transcend the rap genre as well as time; we have many examples in our culture that prove Lytton’s statement about the pen to be true more often than not.
Our words and our signature holds a lot of weight in society, as we say and believe a person is only as good their word. Our signature holds as much weight as our name, title or position allows it to. Whether it’s applying for a personal loan from a bank or writing a new policy for your business or company on a corporate level, our words and signature can have a direct impact on our subordinates, colleagues, friends, and family alike.
Some things only come to fruition if our signature is on it. Buying a new car for instance. Our name is attached to all the documents to purchase the car. Our credit is attached to our name. Our credit deals with how well we keep our word regarding paying back loans.
Granted things happen to where our credit is impacted and we’re not as consistent with paying our debt, but it’s still associated to our name/signature. It wouldn’t have came to pass otherwise. If our name/credit is in good standing, not only could we have more opportunities and options when it comes to purchasing items we want, it could also help with advancing our careers.
Recently, I wrote a negative review on Yelp and Google (something I normally don’t do) that received a lot of visibility and attention from this company on a corporate level. My wife and I had a bad experience at this particular store that did not want to rectify the issue at the customer service level initially. I wanted to make sure my voice and grievances were heard clearly, so I chose the pen over of acting out of character and getting upset while in the store.
A day after I posted the review, the salesman and the company reached out to me to look into how they could reconcile the situation and make up for our bad experience with the store. I’ve since written a positive review for the salesman and company offering to credit our account and give us free accessories to keep us as loyal customers. No one is perfect. Companies/employees make mistakes when it comes to how their customers are treated from time to time.
But how a company rectifies the situation will determine how loyal a customer will be to that company going forward. The companies name and reputation was on the line, so much so that they were willing to accommodate one of their loyal customers regardless of profit loss or inconvenience. Not all companies are willing to do this, however, this experience reminded me of the importance and value of having a good name/reputation.
The same holds true when it comes to leadership. It’s all about being upfront with your customers and employees about parameters, terms, conditions, and upcoming changes or events. This approach usually yields the best results when it comes to motivation, productivity, meeting goals, and forecasting. We Don’t Always Get It Right as Leaders but we want to make sure we try to keep our employees in the loop as much as possible.
I always strive to be as transparent as I can be with my employees to best prepare them for what may come or what to expect along their journey in that career/position. My approach to leadership is never to write my employees up just because I have the authority to do so (we’re all adults here). Rather, I’m open with my employees and let them know if that’s the only route we have left per the policy and go from there. Even before it gets to that point, I try to coach and correct the behavior(s).
I’ve hired more employees than I’ve fired and I’m thankful for that. A reminder that our name has AUTHORIY and our signature can be the defining factor in advancing someone’s career. Though I’m a stickler for policy and procedures, I believe employees thrive more when ruled with a steady hand opposed to an iron fist.
Look to approve and writeup promotions, raises, and positive affirmations for your team members. Look to improve processes and writeup resources that helps your department and organization as a whole. Use your PEN as a weapon that combats and tears down toxicity in the workplace and not just a tool of reprimand or correction.
We know the pen is mighty and can bring forth great change, history proves this on numerous occasions. However, it’s up to us to choose how mighty the pen will be in our hands, our life, and the lives of those we influence. Let the pen (authority) you wield transcribe positive change within the chapters of those you’re responsible for in your career, family, and life as a whole.
Below is a leadership checklist from eblingroup.com that we can use to give us an honest assessment of our current mindset as leaders. A total of 14 would be a perfect score but I’m not sure many of us would reach it if we’re being honest. It’s ok, this is a self-reflective test to show us where we are, and what we can do to improve. Let me know in the comments if you were surprised by your score! Also think of ways you can improve your score.
Not Your Average Boss 