On lions and the words of our mouth

From time immemorial, tigers have mostly won their fights against Lions based on the research out there. So it’s worth wondering why the Lion is considered the king of the jungle.

Tigers are generally larger and heavier, Elephants are the largest living terrestrial animals with the some of them standing between 7 to 13 feet in height and weighing somewhere between 3,000 kg to 7,000kg. Definitely, Elephants are much taller and heavier than Lions.

The cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal. With acceleration that would leave most automobiles in the dust. A cheetah can go from 0 to 96 km/hr in only three seconds. They are very nimble at high speed and can make quick, sudden turns in pursuit of their prey.

If Tigers are stronger, Elephants larger and Cheetah’s faster, why then do we refer to the Lion as the king of the jungle?

Animal scientists have discovered that when a Lion roars, it reaches 114 decibels and can be heard 8 kilometres away lasting about 30 to 60 seconds. It can travel over five miles which is as loud as a jet airplane taking off! The Lion’s roar may very well be the reason why it’s revered.

Relating this to leadership in the workplace, we can say our leadership is channelled by the things we do and mostly through the words of our mouth like the roar of the lion.

What kind of words do we say to members’ of our team, direct reports or subordinates as some are called? Especially when we are faced with targets, deadlines, and challenges in the office?

Do your words become toxic, pierce like daggers and cut as a razor? Do you go ballistic and use unprintable vocabulary?

With the words of your mouth, you can move your unit, department, team and organisation in a desired direction. As a leader, when you want to reprimand an employee for poor performance or give a feedback, how do you say it? When you want to communicate a strategy to your people, how do you communicate it? How do you talk to your people every day?

Leaders and line managers have been known to consistently speak inspiring and empowering words to employees. People respect and look up to you so being mindful about what you say is for greater good and enables you develop the capabilities to lead effectively.

Leadership hinges a lot on the things you say (and do not say). The “words of your mouth” are impactful and weigh more than you’ve cared to measure.

Your words matter to your people and to the people around them. Be the difference. Be deliberate about how you say what you say. Lead by the words you utter.

Ngozi Adebiyi