Vibrant Cultures
By Les Mottosky
Literally. That word once meant what it literally means.
Now it's used as a verbal exclamation mark.
Our language is morphing and becoming even more confused since social media took the internet – and humanity – by tsunami.
For the last century – and potentially much longer – there's been a tendency for youth to differentiate from 'Generation Parent'. Social media has exacerbated this rebellious rite of passage. And one of the mechanisms is shifting the language we use everyday.
While youth are the most organic expression of this, they aren't alone. Far from it. Industries, systems, businesses and governments have all made an art of it. At the core is the desire to shift human behaviour to their own benefit. (And sometimes for our benefit too).
Marketing, messaging, advertising, PR, social media and other propaganda-style manipulative language in the same manner. All of these are attempts to influence public perspective and decisions.
This dilution of meaning in our lexicon creates a price tag. A cost we have no means to accurately measure. But we do have results. And we live with them everyday.
For an organization, the anti-dote is to create awareness of the value, meaning and – yes, even – the beauty of language.
Literal language.
Distributing this anti-dote to a group of people requires adopting intention and discernment as strategic themes.
Intention reminds us of the road we're on while discernment maintains that intention, ensuring we remain equipped to make the entire trip.
In an organizational culture, intention is the deliberate orientation of effort. It answers why the organization exists beyond profit, and what it refuses to trade away when pressure shows up. Intention is not aspiration; it’s a chosen stance. It shows up in what leadership protects, funds, rewards, and repeats.
A clear intention simplifies decision-making because it establishes non-negotiables. It determines how people are treated, what “good work” looks like, and where shortcuts are unacceptable. Without intention, culture defaults to incentives and momentum. People become busy but misaligned, productive but disordered.
Strong intention creates cultural magnetism, attracting the right people, repelling the wrong ones, and provides meaning to effort during uncertainty. It allows individuals to act independently without fragmenting the whole, because they understand – and are connected to – the deeper purpose guiding their actions.
Discernment in this context is the capacity to sense what matters now. It's applied judgment. Like knowing when to act, when to wait, when to escalate, and when to let something go. Discernment reads context, power dynamics, timing, and unintended consequences. It prevents rigid adherence to rules that no longer serve the mission and protects against unevaluated or naïve or consistency.
In healthy cultures, discernment is distributed, not hoarded by leadership. People are trusted to make situational decisions aligned with shared intent. Without discernment, organizations become brittle: policies replace thinking, and compliance replaces responsibility. Discernment allows values to remain vibrant rather than dogmatic. It's what enables an organization to stay humane under pressure and adaptive without losing its identity. It turns principles into practice, moment by moment.
The reason these co-themes of intention and discernment are – perhaps – more critical than ever is because when words lose meaning, responsibility soon follows.
Intention and discernment are how organizations keep meaning intact. They prevent values from turning into slogans and language from turning into leverage.
These strategic levers of intention and discernment are how language shapes competitive advantage.
For many organization, that's everything. Literally.
TAGS: #Vibrant Cultures #Adaptation As Innovation #Wisdom In Leadership #Radical Reframe #Intention #Discernment
Les Mottosky
Adaptation Strategist & Advisor // Revealing competitive advantage. I help leaders build aligned creative cultures that can measure their vitality and adapt to rapid change. It's not easy. But it's simple.
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