Diplo-Speak

There is an assumption that common ground exists in organizations where, if a search is mounted, little can be found.

What is the mission? How is that reflected in our daily work? Why are we here? What are our core values? What must we never do? Such questions can elicit dramatically different interpretations from people who have worked together for years.

I coach executives. Some of them have not had a candid conversation with their associates within recent memory, if ever. The entire team speaks a special language designed to conceal as much as it reveals. Call it diplo-speak. This lingo greases relationships and is a convenient way of avoiding unpleasant conflict that would consume a lot of time. Conversations are replete with buzz words and phrases. Candor is cautiously regarded as a briar patch which, once entered, may be impossible to escape without tearing the flesh. Speech becomes a substitute for frank communication.

Have you ever sat around a conference table and realized that people are neither lying nor telling the truth? You are hearing diplo-speak.

Diplo-speak is not always bad but we should know when it is being used if we wish to have a grasp on reality.