Hi There,
There is a word I dislike very much. In fact, I dislike this word so much that I have forbidden my children from using it at home. It’s the famous “TRY” word.
Consider this, your friend invites you out for lunch and you’re somewhat noncommittal, what do you automatically say? You say; “That sounds great! I’ll TRY to make it.” And then, what happens? Well, I’ll venture a guess that you don’t go because that awful word “TRY” implies that you simply won’t do it. The word implies failure, or at the very least, a lack of adequate action. It’s a weak
commitment that implies “I may not do it” or “I may not succeed. Notably, It provides an excuse for failure! This is why it’s also forbidden in our Spa Professionals Guild community. It may be a magic word for those who would prefer a constant stream of excuses as to why they didn’t follow through on the lunch date, party invitation, assignment completion or work commitment.
Now, let’s apply the word in a business environment. You’re having your morning huddle meeting with your staff, discussing their targets or goals that they have to achieve for that particular day.
How many members of your team will say “I will TRY my best.” I’m sure at least one of them. Here’s another question; How many members of your team will actually
achieve their daily target? Best case, one or two, but most likely none of them, right? The reality is they will all default to telling you that they TRIED their very best, but they didn’t make it. Well, here’s the problem. It’s the word; TRY.
That word is standing in the way of somebody making a commitment and going full blast towards achieving it vs finding an easy out. So, from here on out there is no ‘TRY’, ever! There is “Yes, I will” or “No, I won’t”. Get rid of the word “try” in your business and in your life because it will hold you back!
Here’s something fun for you to implement in your business, or even at home. How about having a “Try Jar”? Each time the word try is used, there’s a forfeit of some kind, nothing too major, perhaps a few pennies in a jar? This could be used for a team initiative and will absolutely implement a culture of “CAN DO”.
It won’t come as any surprise that Forbes ran an article on the 13 things you should never say at work. It will also come as no surprise that one of those words or phrases is “I’ll Try”.
Let’s look at the other 12 forbidden Forbes phrases;
???? It’s not fair (please never say this at work)
????That’s not my problem / That’s not my job / I don’t get paid enough for this (perhaps consider a career change?)
????I think (rather say “I know”)
????No problem (rather say “You’re welcome”)
????He’s a jerk / She’s lazy / My job stinks / I hate this company (nothing will tank your career faster)
????But, we’ve always done it that way (rather say “Wow, that’s interesting. Let’s discuss the pros and cons”)
????That’s impossible / There’s nothing I can do (again, perhaps a career change is in order?)
????You should have / You could have (Rather say “In the future, I recommend…”)
????You guys (very unprofessional)
????I may be wrong, but / This may be a silly idea, but (rather be assertive and say “To increase productivity, I recommend…”)
????Don’t you think / Okay (these phrases lack authority)
????I don’t have time to do this now / I’m too busy (It makes the recipient feel less important. Rather offer an alternative for when you are able to perform the request)
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Till next week,
Marisa