The Spark and the Smolder of Words: How Leaders Ignite or Dampen Morale

The Spark and the Smolder of Words: How Leaders Ignite or Dampen Morale

JW
Jed WelchSecurity Manager, Colsa Corporation
3 min read

Words carry a profound power. As municipal leaders, we comprehend this — but often we underestimate just how much our language can prime a team’s mindset, direction, and performance. Priming language is nothing but our words subtly influencing how others perceive a situation, themselves, or even what happens next. It can either plant seeds of confidence or cultivate doubt1.

While serving in Kunsan AB, Korea, I learned this firsthand. I was assigned a team that, on paper, seemed like the leftover pieces of a puzzle no one had the patience to complete. I remember standing in front of them and saying: “I know nobody wanted you. But I do.” Some leaders might cringe at that phrasing, but it was deliberate. I didn’t sugarcoat the reality — they were a thrown-together crew, passed over and pieced together from units nobody else claimed. But in that moment, my words acknowledged their frustration while also setting a new tone: they had value, they had purpose, and someone finally saw it. This was priming — used with intention2.

From that day forward, that team ran through walls. Not because they were the best trained or most experienced, but because they believed they were finally wanted. They had something to prove, and someone who believed they could3.

However, there’s a flip side to priming. Leaders can unintentionally seed negativity. Saying things like “This is going to be a mess” before a briefing sets the expectation for failure. Repeating “we’re under-resourced” can justify inaction before the work even begins. Starting meetings with “I know this is a waste of time” primes apathy before engagement4.

When priming is careless, it becomes corrosive. As leaders, our words are the spark that can ignite momentum or smolder morale. A single sentence can create buy-in or push people toward burnout. We don’t just communicate; we condition5.

So, ask yourself: Am I priming my team for confidence or caution? Do my words push them forward or prepare them to fail? Am I using language that builds trust or breeds fear?

Leadership isn’t just strategy — it’s psychology. And the words we choose matter more than we think. Be deliberate. Be authentic. Be the leader who primes for purpose6.

  1. Ambady, N., & Rosenthal, R. (1993). Half a minute: Predicting teacher evaluations from thin slices of nonverbal behavior and physical attractiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(3), 431.

  2. Bargh, J. A., & Pietromonaco, P. (1982). Automatic information processing and social perception: The influence of trait information presented outside of conscious awareness on impression formation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(3), 437.

  3. Chartrand, T. L., & Bargh, J. A. (1999). The chameleon effect: The perception–behavior link and social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(6), 893.

  4. Dijksterhuis, A., & Van Knippenberg, A. (1998). The relation between perception and behavior, or how to win a game of Trivial Pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(4), 865.

  5. Fazio, R. H., Sanbonmatsu, D. M., Powell, M. C., & Kardes, F. R. (1986). On the automatic activation of attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(2), 229.

  6. Higgins, E. T. (1989). Knowledge accessibility and activation: Subjectivity and suffering from unconscious sources. In Unintended thought (pp. 75-123). Guilford Press.