What’s in a Name?

As with the pope, subtle cues can indicate broader intentions

The Delivery of the Keys to Saint Peter by Pietro Perugino, 1481 (public domain - Wikipedia)

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
— William Shakespeare, 1597

One of the lessons every leader needs to learn is that everything communicates. Everything.

We pick up signals from subtle decisions such as a tie or a shirt, preferred fonts, positioning of people in a room, titles, email signature lines, and more. Even neoclassical or romantic paintings that adorn a newsletter…

Leaders are constantly scrutinized, which means that as a leader, you need to take great care in the decisions you make, what you say, and how you say it.

Take the recently elected pope, for example.

Nominal Honors

In this week’s papal conclave, which took only two days — the fifth two-day election since 1900 — Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was selected as the new pope. The brevity of the process indicate…