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An Overview of - Picture This: How the Language of Leaders Drives Performance

Writer's picture: Leading Through StaffLeading Through Staff

Updated: Jan 29

Written by authors Chad Murphy and Jonathan R. Clark and published in the journal Organizational Dynamics in 2016, this research demonstrates how leaders' use of vivid and concrete language can inspire clarity, commitment, and alignment among team members.




The article discusses how leaders can effectively communicate organizational purpose through language, using Cleveland Clinic as a key example. In 2007, CEO Delos Cosgrove shifted the organization's focus after learning that despite excellent medical outcomes, patients were choosing other hospitals due to Cleveland Clinic's perceived lack of empathy.


Key Points:

  1. Leadership Communication Impact:

    1. Cosgrove's new messaging focused on patient experience beyond just medical outcomes

    2. This shift led to dramatic improvements in patient satisfaction scores, outpacing national averages

    3. The success wasn't just from new programs, but from how the purpose was communicated

  2. Creating Shared Purpose:

    1. Organizations vary in how effectively they convey their purpose

    2. The goal isn't just to communicate purpose, but to create a shared understanding across the organization

    3. Leaders should avoid vague, grandiose statements (like "changing the world") in favor of more concrete, meaningful messaging

  3. Effective Communication Framework: The article proposes that effective purpose-driven communication requires two key elements:

    1. Concrete, image-based language about long-term goals

    2. Focused, limited conceptual language

  4. Implementation Challenges:

    1. Leaders often think too abstractly when considering future vision

    2. There's a tendency to create overly grand, all-encompassing visions

    3. The challenge is making the vision both inspiring and practically meaningful


The article emphasizes that while many studies focus on communication style (body language, emotional displays), the actual linguistic and rhetorical elements of leadership communication are more crucial for creating shared purpose and improving organizational performance.


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