When we think of the instinctive process that our thoughts are verbalized and then acted on, it would seem to be a hardly earth-shattering theory. How we think dictates how we speak which then, in turn, dictates how we act. If you gave those three words to random people on the street in a jumbled order and asked them to reorder them into their logical sequence, 100% of people would get it correct; thoughts, then language and lastly actions (hopefully!). But it’s actually a far more complicated process for many of us than it appears on the face of it. In fact, many of us don’t have a clear connection between these three processes, and that can be a problem. This is especially true when it comes to talking about who we are with others, like potential clients. They dictate our vision and mission.

Understanding how someone is thinking is important. When a collective mindset is reached by a group, achieving goals (long or short term) can be much easier, and pleasurable even. It comes back to notions of teamwork or that old adage of “being on the same page”. A collaborative mindset is extremely important and much of this stems from knowing how people think.

How we talk, whilst making it consistent with how we feel and think is the next step. When these aren’t aligned it leaves everyone else confused. When we are in a work environment and there isn’t consistency between words and thoughts, business suffers. Now that doesn’t mean being incredibly blunt with people to the point of rudeness (which will lead to workplace conflict), but it is important for the people around you to know how you feel about something based on what you are saying.

When our thoughts and how we speak are aligned, then our actions follow in kind. Again, we can link this to an old adage of “practising what you preach.” Leadership 101 tells us that a good leader demonstrates the behaviour (actions) that they want to see in their team. A great example of this is in team sports. How many times do you see coaches screaming and hollering at their team, players, the media, their staff or the front office but then preaching “discipline” to their players? Even more, ironically, they reprimand their players when they exhibit those very same behaviours their coach is famous for. The coaches that do this are usually unsuccessful or have a very heavy downfall later on. There are too many examples of this to go over but look at Bob Knight’s story at the University of Indiana as a perfect example.

Clarity is key. Because if our actions don’t match up with how we speak and think, then clarity is not there. The trickle-down effect of its absence will corrupt everything a business does. In a business sense, that clarity starts with knowing who you are, what you want in terms of goals and what you expect from those around you. If this is clear, accomplishing goals will be so much easier.

Finally, it’s important to know that our sense of clarity, which stems from an alignment of our thoughts, language and actions, can evolve. They aren’t set in stone necessarily and there’s nothing wrong with revisiting and refreshing. It’s good to revisit these through your business’ vision and mission. Because if your vision and mission aren’t at the forefront of everything you do, how do you expect to reach your goals?

This blog is based on Episode 17 of the Simplifying Entrepreneurship podcast, where I interview Barb Evoy and discuss this topic. Here’s the full interview with Barb.