The Two Most Important Words in Business (Part 1)

This is Part 1 (of 5) of an article that I'm drafting. I'm looking for feedback.

If you search the web for “the most important word in business” (or “words”) you will find many answers, including these words: trust, communication, integrity, character, ethics, quality, service, mission, you, we, cash flow, profit and many more. Among the words in this list, I agree that trust and communication belong at the top. This is especially true in the modern age -- the Knowledge Age -- when knowledge workers are expected to know more than their managers, when knowledge workers are expected to collaborate among themselves instead of reporting to a central authority, and when complex interdependencies exist between team members. Trust and communication are also crucial in the field of New Product Development, since we want our team members to think “outside the box” (use their creative imaginations), yet stay “within scope” when it comes to the intended deliverables.

Yet it really isn’t satisfactory to end the search for the most important words in business with the words trust and communication, because these words are so intangible and all-encompassing. In fact, it can be cause cynicism to declare that these words are important while we do nothing specific and tangible to improve them. The real question is HOW to create an environment of trust and HOW to improve communication.

The HOW of trust and communication fills entire volumes, but this short article suggests something specific and tangible you can implement right away. I suggest that there are two more words that should be added to the very top of the list, because they are foundational to trust and communication. These two words may surprise you; they are outcomes and actions.

Come back tomorrow for the second part of this article. I'm looking for feedback prior to the November 1 due date.