What Successful Leaders Say Over and Over

“Successful people say the same things over and over.”  --Jay McSwain

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I know this saying is true because I first heard Jay say this to me over 20 years ago…and it still resonates.

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Why do successful people say the same things over and over?

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Because saying the same things over and over is how they shape the culture of those they lead. 

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‍Rather than chase the idea of the moment, they stay the course and share a few powerful messages over and over.  

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What are YOUR power messages?

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As a leader, you need to know what your power messages are. Power messages are those phrases that, when you say them, there is a power in them that impacts people.  They are your mantras and messages that leave legacy.  The power lies in the fact that you are leading out of your wiring and your experiences.  No one can take it away from you because you were there.

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A few of mine:

• You find your life as you give it away.
• Clarity is the Holy Grail of teams
• Before you can lead others you must lead yourself.
• You reproduce not what you say or do, but who you are.

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Your power messages are something you talk about with authority.  When you share them, you don't have to expend energy. God brought you through something, or taught you something, or redeemed something in you and you want the rest of your life to lead and help people with it.

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Think about the culture you want to create, and what messages reinforce that:

• ‍When you enter a room what do you want your employees and teams to feel and experience? 
• When you walk into a presentation what do you want people to feel and experience?
• When you leave a room, what do you want people to feel and experience?

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These messages are the things you’ve decided are going to be, who you are, and how you’re going to lead. They are what will drive the experience of you and your leadership for the people around you.

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When your team faces a decision and you are unclear what to do, use your power message.

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For example, one of my power messages I used with my team was Is this helpful?  As we would navigate our social media presence, our communications team used this message as a plumb line for what should–and should not–be posted to represent our organization.  It may be true, it may be funny, but if it wasn't going to be helpful, it didn’t get posted.

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How can you begin to identify YOUR power messages?

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Ask yourself:

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What are the 5 topics you could speak about for 30 minutes right now, without notes?

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Then, walk through this exercise:

1. Using 3x5 cards, begin to write out the words, phrases, sentences that capture the core messages of these topics.  Base them around your wiring, your story, your values.  Pay attention to the stories or examples you could tell that explain how that message was shaped or how it plays out in your life.
2. Review these cards over the next few weeks and play with language that fits you.
3. Pick a power message to begin sharing with your team.

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Don’t just capture them, prepare to share them. There’s power in it.

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Because successful people say the same things over and over.

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Thomas helps leaders navigate what’s next in their lives, leadership, and teams.  If he can serve you in this, reach out to him HERE.

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Photo by Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash

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