Actions may speak louder than words, but our words still hold tremendous powerIf your goal is to have your voice heard and your ideas respected at work, cruise over the phrases below, and if you’re guilty of saying them, consider a re-word or eliminate them entirely.

Phrases That Can Make You Sound Weak at Work

Phrases like — “I’m not an expert, but…” and his popular cousin — “I’m not sure if this is a good idea….” are harmless prefaces for relaxed brainstorming sessions. But if you’re in a situation where you’re trying to get people to respect you and take your ideas seriously, these phrases undermine your credibility.Consider taking a more direct and less self-deprecating approach instead — “What I believe is the best direction is X” or “I would suggest we also consider Y.”

“I’m not an expert, but….”

Weak objections tend to not only get overruled, but they send a signal to people that you’re not willing to take a stand.“The client said they don’t like plastic, what about using glass?” is more effective than saying, “It’s just that the client said they don’t want to use plastic.” Or any variation of the words “The only thing is…”

“It’s just that….”

People’s time is limited and you don’t want them to have to search for your point.If you need a status update, be direct and ask for it. Drop the “This is just a friendly nudge…” or “When you have a moment…” and ask “I have to get X over to Y at Z time today. Can you give me a status please?”

“When you get a minute….”

When asking for a hand from a co-worker, announcing you’re about to bother them, increases the odds of you actually bothering them.“The words we say become the world we see!”if you catch yourself complaining instead of saying “Sorry for venting” or “Sorry for laying this on you,” try this simple switch instead — “Thank you for listening.”Try to limit how much you say you’re sorry when there’s nothing for you to be sorry about.

“I’m sorry to bother you…”

Not fully formed thoughts and ideas can get messy and you should be working at a place that allows you to explore. But if you feel as if you’re rambling and your message isn’t landing - back up and start again.

“Does what I just said make sense?”

One of the major keys to advancement — if not the key — is found in how well you and your colleagues thoughtfully disagree.Don’t hedge and take power away from your position by leading with “I don’t necessarily agree with this, but…” or “I’m not sure I agree with this…” Be mindful of how you start your requests or argument as it plays a role in how confidently your thoughts and ideas are ultimately received.

“I don’t necessarily agree with this, but…”

When my dad was starting out in his career, he was asked to give a presentation to the bigwigs in his organization during an extremely sensitive time. As you can imagine, when the biggest wig of all…

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8 Phrases That Can Make You Sound Weak at Work

Whenever someone talks about good leadership traits, we immediately think about things like charisma, communications skills, delegation, and leading by example. While those skills are important, there are some other significant traits that get completely lost. Let's see what those are.

5 Uncommon Things Great Leaders Do

We've moved away from the rigidly hierarchical structures of the past decades. Employees aren't hesitant to reach out to their leaders anymore. Open-door policies are not only redundant, but they can also be extremely distracting.Great leaders understand that and do not have an open-door policy anymore. They do that to protect their and their team's focus and to help them become independent. They set up great processes and protocols to enhance communication instead.

They Don't Have an Open Door Policy

They prioritize long-term gains over short-term wins even if that is unpopular and causes immediate pain. They do that because they realize that it takes time to achieve key results.The pursuit of short-term gains can harm your long-term strategy. Winning, in the long run, requires letting go of short-term jumps.

They Think Long Term and Promote This Thinking

Good leaders know that unless their team members get better than what they were yesterday, they won’t achieve the higher goals set today. And if they aren’t achieving higher goals each year, they are stagnating.These leaders work with their team members to help them achieve personal growth along with professional growth. Both of these are independent and they won't be able to succeed at work without improving every day.

They Focus on Their Team's Personal Growth

No one is perfect or bereft of weaknesses. Great leaders know that.They don't shy away from that and are quite upfront in admitting those. They do that to make their team aware and, more importantly, have their team members complement them and fill those gaps collectively as a unit.

They Aren't Afraid to Expose Their Vulnerability & Ignorance

Good leaders focus on setting winning processes and pursue superlative execution. They understand that if these are set right, results are bound to follow.They understand that if results are not up to the mark, even if the execution is spot on, it is their responsibility, more than their team members, to get it right.

They Obsess over Process & Execution and Not over Outcomes

I have read dozens of leadership books and articles by now and have also been fortunate enough to see some amazing leaders in action, both at work and on the personal front. There are some important…

8 Phrases That Can Make You Sound Weak at Work

5 Uncommon Things Great Leaders Do

Dipesh Jain