The Lumina Foundation -- a major non-profit whose mission is to increase the number of Americans with college degrees -- recently offered a challenge to anyone who can "fix" the College Scorecard. The Scorecard is a database intended to allow prospective students the opportunity to compare schools in an equitable manner, but unfortunately the tool has more critics than fans.
So instead of joining the chorus of complainers, Lumina issued a crowdsourcing call saying "solvers wanted" to "reinvent the user experience of the College Scorecard." Isn't that much more positive than asking for volunteers for a task force or soliciting suggestions? There is even an incentive of $10,000 to "become a solver".
It reminded me of an ad that IBM ran when they were recruiting employees for their new service center here: "Now Hiring: Forward Thinking World Changers." I was ready to quit my job and sign up.
How can you employ similar language and symbolism in your organization? The next time you convene a group, instead of calling people "members" or "appointees", could you refer to them as "solvers"? Could you ask for volunteers of people who want to be a "solver" -- which sounds much more positive and action oriented than many other names? Is there a way you can reward "forward thinking world changers" who come up with solutions and innovations outside a formal committee?
Language does matter. Try to choose words that set the tone and sentiment of your message from the onset.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
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