And then there is that which is simple, yet so rare

Simple words that really change the climate in the company (but almost no one uses them)

“And then there is what is simple, yet so rare” means that there are small, seemingly obvious things that never happen by chance and that, when they do happen, make a difference. In every company.

1. “Thank you” is not politeness. It’s leadership.

You see it right away, entering certain offices. There are companies where you work hard, you make a lot of money, but you never say Thank you.
Everything is due. Everything is normal. Everything is “what you get paid for.”

Then you walk into another company and hear a “thank you” said clearly. Looking into the eyes. Maybe at the end of the shift, maybe after a mistake handled well.
And there you understand: it is not a polite word. It is a choice of style, a posture of command.

Saying thank you doesn't diminish authority. It elevates it.

2. “Sorry” is a revolutionary word (if said well)

It happens often in consulting: a boss who has made a mistake, but he skirts around the problem. He minimizes it. He files it away.
Not because he doesn't know, but because he wasn't taught how to apologize without losing power.

And yet, nothing builds trust like a “sorry” said without apologies.
Team leaders don’t have to be perfect. They have to be human. And whole.

Admitting a mistake doesn’t destroy leadership. It makes it real.

3. “I don't know” is a phrase that only the strong allow themselves to utter.

You know that manager who has an answer for everything? Even when there's no question?
It doesn't reassure. It clouds. It distances.

Instead, saying “I don’t know” — clearly, without defensiveness — opens up the space for discussion.

Whoever does it, creates culture.
Because knowledge, in a company, is never static. It is collaboration in motion.

4. “Good” is not a prize. It is a habit to cultivate.

“It’s his job.”
“It goes without saying.”
“He knows he did well.”

But no. Saying it matters. Saying it changes. Saying it empowers.

A person who feels seen gives more. A person who feels invisible turns off.

Authentic gratification does not accumulate in formal speeches. It is sown, it is dosed, it is made to happen every day. When needed. As needed.

5. Language is the climate. The voice of culture.

This is not rhetoric. This is corporate anthropology.
The way one speaks — or remains silent — within a company defines its emotional boundaries.
Every word creates atmosphere. Every silence, too.

A well-said “thank you,” an unnecessary apology, an honestly-said “I don’t know,” a “well done” offered without strategy… they are the invisible building blocks of the corporate climate.

What you don't put into processes, but which you can breathe between desks.

A Reflection on Leadership

Leadership is not just strategy. It is style, voice, tone.

In my work I enter different companies every day. And by now I have learned:
it's not just the numbers that tell me what a reality is like.
They are the words.

Those that are said. Those that are missing. Those that change everything, even if they seem small.

Because in the end, culture is not created by writing it in values framed in the boardroom.

It is written in everyday dialogues. And in those simple words… yet so rare.