Leadership Challenge: A simple word change that builds two-way respect and loyalty.

When introducing a person that works for you,
Especially outside of the office
in Social settings,
Don’t refer to them as your employee…

Call them your coworker, instead.

Change this: “I’d like you to meet John, one of my employees.”
To: “I’d like you to meet my coworker, John.”

When asked, “How do y’all know each other?”
Instead of saying, “John works for me.”
Try saying, “John and I work together.”

There is still a time and place to highlight the hierarchy and prominence of your position, but that isn’t usually the case in social settings.

Do you have experience with a boss (or a boss’s boss) referring to you as a coworker and not as “their employee” outside of work?