I had someone tell me yesterday
that she couldn’t lead a certain change
because she was ‘just a writer.’
“Bull shit”, I replied.
“You’re not JUST a writer.
You’re a writer who knows there’s a problem.
You’re also a mother, a wife,
a university educated woman,
an entrepreneur
and the list goes on.
If you don’t lead this change,
who will?”
She used ‘just’ as an excuse.
Others use ‘just’ as an insult.
“She’s just a financial analyst.
What does she know?”
Mike Figliuolo’s view on the word ‘just’
is quite a bit stronger.
“No one is just anything.
The phrase is demeaning
and pejorative.
We’re all people
– we happen to have different responsibilities.
The connotation of just
is that someone is worth
less than someone else.
As if that just someone has a defect.
One of the most powerful leadership skills
I’ve seen and used
is valuing everyone’s contributions equally.
How do you do that?
Simple
– treat everyone like a person
and an equal first and foremost.”
Think before using the word ‘just.’