🏁 Axios Finish Line: Killing "killers"

Readers' pick | Thursday, April 21, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By West Monroe   Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Apr 21, 2022 Apr 21, 2022 Welcome back. Thanks for the hundreds of thoughtful notes about your experiences with meditation. We're reading through your advice, and we'll update you on our progress soon. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei is your host tonight. Reach him at jim@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 494 words ... 2 minutes.     1 big thing: The power of words Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Several Finish Line readers — including Thrive CEO Arianna Huffington and Wharton School professor Rachel Pacheco — told us they hate our phrase "killers with humility." We use it to describe ideal Axios employees: They have killer talent, but put the cause above their own ambition, Jim writes. Why it matters: Well, we have the humility to listen … and we think they're right! Henceforth, we'll use a new phrase for the talented humans we treasure — and you can help pick it. (See second item.) The gripe with "killers with humility" is instructive about the debate on modern business culture and word choices. "Research shows that our word choice used in describing ideal employee characteristics and traits, unsurprisingly, has a significant impact on who applies and who joins organizations," Dr. Pacheco wrote to me. Her main concern: "Killers" is too masculine and could scare off possible candidates. Huffington wrote on LinkedIn: "Killers seems like a relic from the workplace model we're leaving behind — the one where CEOs (and seemingly everybody else in business) loved to quote Sun Tzu's 'The Art Of War' and talked about success only in terms of 'killing it,' 'crushing it,' 'having only one throat to choke' and sleeping when they're dead." How I think about this: At first, my snap instinct was to be defensive or dismissive. Our staff knows we have a terrific culture and that we say "killers" with a bit of a wink. We are 60% women and pride ourselves on diversity, equity and inclusion. Reality check: The critics are right. People we're hiring know nothing of our culture. So if a phrase screams "beware" to anyone, then it would be dumb to keep using it. So we're scrapping it. How this pertains to everyday life: There's a huge cultural fight over word choices. Some of the points are wise, some silly. A simple rule we try to live by: If something is offensive to a group of people, you can find a better way to say it. So thank you to all of you who keep writing in with ideas, critiques and kind words. Share this story.     A message from West Monroe Why companies need to move fast toward a unified brand experience     Too many companies are choosing one area to focus on: digital or in-person experiences. They're missing the point—you need to do both. Unified digital and physical experiences lead to better financial results—across industries. Learn how to unify experiences.     💭 Help! We need a tight, memorable phrase to replace "killers with humility" — may it rest in peace. The constraints: Think something like "high-achievers with humility." Keep it short (three words tops), and please make sure it captures two equally important attributes: Exceptional talent: people determined to be the very best at what they do. Unmistakable humility: people who care more about others — or the task or company — than their personal ambition. Send candidates to FinishLine@axios.com. Winner gets Axios gear!   Thanks for reading. Invite your friends to sign up. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: