Marianne Kiskola: Internal climate change – A Cultural handbook

Plato once stated that speech is the guiding of souls through words. In Greece, the idea of the power of words on the soul is still known. When a Greek wishes well for someone else, they address them using the most beautiful words they know. They refer to children or youths as dolls or flowers, friends as beloved, men as boys, and women as ladies. They do not send greetings, but kisses.

Language is culturally bound, and Finns do not need to indulge in endearments. It is enough for us to speak the truth.  

With words, we express what our culture values. In Greece, it is important that a word sounds and means something beautiful—preferably blessed with ancient wisdom. Finns appreciate by praising (behind someone's back) how sensible or smart a particular person is. We might even extol them by saying, "there's a person who has their feet on the ground." In Greece, on the other hand, it is said that "he has a healthy soul." People in the Nordics have learned the hard way that a flower dies in frost. Thus, reason must not freeze; the cabin must stay warm and the cellar's potatoes last until next summer. Or the soul might slip away to heaven.

However, it might not be a bad idea to consider the state of the soul from time to time. A person's perfect state is likely to be one where they have a healthy soul in a healthy body. It's like cause and effect. Just like in words and actions. The same can be reflected in an organization. If our company's soul is cared for and there is a good spirit in our actions, it will inevitably reflect as well-being in its participants. It acts like a magnet's attraction, which in turn is a competitive advantage with customer flows. A good reputation travels far.

The soul of an organization is written down in its cultural handbook. Actually, it would be more accurate to call it a dictionary of success. It records the company's mission, its goals—and how to achieve them. What it requires from us, the contributors, and how it guides our thinking and actions. With words, we make our thoughts visible and create the reality we live in. The way we speak today is tomorrow's action. We utter self-fulfilling prophecies.

A little effort beforehand is worthwhile. The words with which we articulate our organization's operational models become guiding lights in the storm. Carefully considered sentences become life rafts that carry us to calm waters.

It is wise to consider how we speak to ourselves, about ourselves—to others, about others? A bad word is the beginning of the end. Logos kalos—beautiful word; beautiful reason—is, on the other hand, the beginning of everything. According to the famous last line from Casablanca, it is the start of a beautiful friendship. A company should aim for loyal friends rather than customers, who return time and again. It's easy to return to what is good.

Attitudes spread quickly. We are ape-like humans, and it is natural for us to mimic each other. Thus, we become part of the community and gain its approval. The way we speak, if anything, is contagious. If you want to test this claim, just spend a couple of weeks outside your dialect area, and upon returning home, you'll notice you're singing a different tune than before.

There is a danger in words, in that not only we start to believe in them, but others do too. Some research once found that to learn about a new product or concept, a person needs at least seven repetitions in advertising. For some reason, people learn new things quite effortlessly but unlearn old ones very poorly. This strange contradiction of humanity is also linked to the fact that we are immediately ready to believe bad news, whereas we are skeptical of a good story. A good story, therefore, needs to be repeated, seven times seven.

So, do you want your organization to succeed? Check its soul, invest in the cultural dictionary, and bet on words. Then ensure that your organization lives as it teaches—repeat—and be ready to welcome the customer flows.
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Marianne Kiskola
‍Guest blogger

Marianne Kiskola is a guest blogger on the Frontline Forum website, writing from the perspective of a language researcher and her second homeland, Greece, on "internal climate change." Marianne is a language researcher, screenwriter, and non-fiction author with 11 published books, and a journalist with a strong background in communication and leadership. Currently, she is working on a doctoral dissertation at the University of Jyväskylä on the language of encounter, about which she lectures and coaches.

Marianne has spent years planning, achieving results, and engaging in long-term reputation and communication work for socially significant parties. She has found that the secret to success is simple: internal and external speech must be unified. Thoughts, words, and actions must be aligned. When this line is clarified, it is easy to shine.

Learn more about Marianne on her website: mariannekiskola.com.