Our penchant for saying things quickly, painting the world with bold colors, and being revered, has become an addiction in our society.
Marketers, salespeople, the media are taught to always remember that any news is better than no news and the louder and more grandiose you speak out, the better.
This is so you can have the most success, the biggest following, the greatest products.
There is another word for all these superlatives; it’s called grandstanding.
We now live in a world of extremes, of constant excitement. It is almost a requirement for all of us to ridicule the worst and idolize the best.
However, there is no worst or best, there are only degrees of separation. Even the “most beautiful woman” will get older and must move out of first place. The “power couple” may split and another twosome will become the darlings of the world, at least for a while.
Using superlatives is like adding spice to a goulash; they should be used sparingly. The following words help to perk up a narrative, yet not all in the same paragraph. Can anything or anyone be great, tremendous, fantastic, incredible, special, amazing all at once?
Too much of anything, even oxygen, becomes toxic.
If you want followers who will stay with you through the long road of success, help them learn to think for themselves and ask key questions. Learn the timing of making something super amazing and beyond the best.
Careful…’cause when what you teach and preach does not live up to the hype, you will get backlash and that’s not pretty.
Too many grandiose statements will guarantee that you will have “sheeple,” not strong, helpful people coalescing around you. After all, if you are that marvelous, effective, and over the top, no one will want to take you on.
And yet, superlatives have their place. Here’s a fun way to use these power words with your workforce. However, use only once a year and make sure you include a pizza party to have a few laughs.
The Office Superlative Awards
Quarterback Award – Best at Handing Work Off to Others.
Twitter Award – Best at Pissing People Off in Fewest Words.
Nostalgia Award – Best at Always Saying it was Better Back Then.
Giraffe Award – Best at Sticking Neck Out and Taking Risks.
Big Foot Award – Best at Putting Foot in Mouth or Elsewhere.
Drama Queen/King Award – Best at Making Sure Everything is a Big Deal.
I bet you can come up with other awards. Big question is, which one will you get? I vote for, “Best at Asking the Right Questions and Listening to Others.” However, that just does not sound as sexy as, “Most Important Person on the Planet.”
I’d love to know what other awards you think belong on this list. And whoever sends the best, most creative, important, powerful, clever, fantastic, incredible ideas, will get a copy of my new, amazing, fabulous book that I haven’t even started writing yet!
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The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.