Fred Valentine

It was Joseph Juran, another giant in the world of quality, who noted that two languages are spoken in every organization. One is the "language of things," spoken by non-supervisory employees. The other is the "language of money," spoken by senior management. Managers who lead, he asserted, must be bilingual. Are you able to speak both languages? If not, it may be time for further training in finance. And the language of things is not just a single language. More and more, it is necessary for managers to deal with areas of specialization that may each have a different dialect. Research and development, production, marketing, sales, shipping and receiving, inventory and supplies, personnel - depending on the organization, these functional divisions can each have a particular culture and language.

You have probably learned by now that the boundaries of your language are the boundaries of your world. If you do not have the words you need to communicate with various specialists in the organization, you will be banned from their world. You need not become an expert in every field, but you should be conversant so you can converse! Leadership is always an exciting path to pursue. Leadership in the new millennium, however, is more than an exciting path. It is a colorful highway on which traffic moves at breakneck speed. If you have accepted the challenge of leading in today's business arena, you are clearly a person who goes beyond his managerial role. You have faith in your own courage, pride, sincerity, and adaptability. Further, you know you can influence others, in part because you can speak more than one business language.