--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: changing a culture meant changing the…" description: "\"“changing a culture meant changing the conversation. And, to change the conversation, people would need new words, especially words about behaviors tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/liz-wiseman-4720_communication_changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-co_1030383.jpg" --- # changing a culture meant changing the conversation. And… ![“changing a culture meant changing the conversation. And, to change the conversation, people would need new words, especially words about behaviors that would lead to winning results.” quote by Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/liz-wiseman-4720_communication_changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-co_1030383.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/liz-wiseman-4720_communication_changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-co_1030383.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/liz-wiseman-4720_communication_changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-co_1030383.jpg) > ““changing a culture meant changing the conversation. And, to change the conversation, people would need new words, especially words about behaviors that would lead to winning results.”” [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Changing a culture requires redefining the dialogue, which in turn needs new terminology that frames desired behaviors and outcomes. **In simple terms:** Culture shifts need new language about actions that drive success. Key Takeaway Introduce words that describe winning behaviors. Themes leadership culture communication change language Mood inspirational thoughtful Type strategic motivational When to use this quote - team meetings - company training - branding campaigns - public speaking Key Concepts organizational development behavioral framing semantic shift Questions to Reflect On - What words could better capture the behaviors you want to see? - How can language be reinforced in daily practice? A Different Perspective New words may be ignored if underlying attitudes stay unchanged. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [Films really can change a conversation and change someone's thinking and perception, especially with people of color at the center. It rarely happens. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/films-really-can-change-a-conversation-and-change-someone-s-thinking/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [Every question you ask, every conversation you have, is the Law of Attraction at work. The spark that sets everything else in motion. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/change-your-conversation/every-question-you-ask-every-conversation-you-have-is-the-law-of/) [Change Your Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/change-your-conversation/) > [Sexual, racial, gender violence and other forms of discrimination and violence in a culture cannot be eliminated without changing culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bunch/sexual-racial-gender-violence-and-other-forms-of-discrimination-and/) [Charlotte Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bunch/) > [In most organizational change efforts, it is much easier to draw on the strengths of the culture than to overcome the constraints by changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-schein/in-most-organizational-change-efforts-it-is-much-easier-to-draw-on/) [Edgar Schein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-schein/) > [First thing you want to do when you're establishing and changing a culture is get the people out of there who don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ingram-ii/first-thing-you-want-to-do-when-you-re-establishing-and-changing-a/) [Mark Ingram II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ingram-ii/) > [The first step in changing a culture, I believe, starts with the senior leadership team - and with the CEO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/the-first-step-in-changing-a-culture-i-believe-starts-with-the-senior/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [We are now changing the culture at the United Nations. And with that, we're changing the culture in the world in the discussions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-haley/we-are-now-changing-the-culture-at-the-united-nations-and-with-that/) [Nikki Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-haley/) > [I really wanted to put myself out of my comfort zone, and that meant leaving England and really changing culture and different ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-parris/i-really-wanted-to-put-myself-out-of-my-comfort-zone-and-that-meant/) [Nikita Parris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-parris/) > [That one conversation that change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-one-conversation-that-change-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's amazing how one conversation can change things forever. How a stranger can become a friend and friend can become a stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/it-s-amazing-how-one-conversation-can-change-things-forever-how-a/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [If you control the flow of information, you can control the conversation around important issues. If you can control the conversation, you can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/if-you-control-the-flow-of-information-you-can-control-the/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Its amazing how one little conversation can change things forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leydee-martirez/its-amazing-how-one-little-conversation-can-change-things-forever/) Leydee Martirez > [I wish I had someone that cared about me...Someone that starts the conversation for a change...Someone that thinks about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-had-someone-that-cared-about-me-someone-that-starts-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's amazing how one little conversation can change things forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melania/it-s-amazing-how-one-little-conversation-can-change-things-forever/) [Melania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melania/) > [One conversation can change years of a friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bognar/one-conversation-can-change-years-of-a-friendship/) [Jenna Bognar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bognar/) ## More by Liz Wiseman > [“When leaders define clear ownership and invest in others, they have sown the seeds of success and earned the right to hold people accountable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/when-leaders-define-clear-ownership-and-invest-in-others-they-have/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“To generate a big impact, pair someone who wants to change the world with someone who already knows how the world works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/to-generate-a-big-impact-pair-someone-who-wants-to-change-the-world/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“failure is not an outcome, but involves a lack of trying—not stretching yourself far enough out of your comfort zone and attempting to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/failure-is-not-an-outcome-but-involves-a-lack-of-trying-not/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said, “All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/american-theologian-reinhold-niebuhr-said-all-human-sin-seems-so-much/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“Good leaders don’t just give people more work, they give them harder work—a bigger challenge that prompts deep learning and growth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/good-leaders-don-t-just-give-people-more-work-they-give-them-harder/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“Bill asked the CEO to prepare five topics that were crucial to the company. The CEO then emailed the list to the team in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/bill-asked-the-ceo-to-prepare-five-topics-that-were-crucial-to-the/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“speaking the language of multiplication (that is, higher growth by better utilizing the resources that already exist).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/speaking-the-language-of-multiplication-that-is-higher-growth-by/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“When leaders teach, they invest in their people’s ability to solve and avoid problems in the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/when-leaders-teach-they-invest-in-their-people-s-ability-to-solve-and/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“A native genius or talent is something that people do, not only exceptionally well, but absolutely naturally. They do it easily (without extra effort)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/a-native-genius-or-talent-is-something-that-people-do-not-only/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“people actually get smarter and more capable around Multipliers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/people-actually-get-smarter-and-more-capable-around-multipliers/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“What we know might actually mask what we don’t know and impede our ability to learn and perform. All”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/what-we-know-might-actually-mask-what-we-don-t-know-and-impede-our/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“We need more than just geniuses at the top of our organizations; we need genius makers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/we-need-more-than-just-geniuses-at-the-top-of-our-organizations-we/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“The Diminisher is a Know-It-All who gives directives. The Multiplier is a Challenger who defines opportunities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/the-diminisher-is-a-know-it-all-who-gives-directives-the-multiplier/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“It has been said that after meeting with the great British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, you left feeling he was the smartest person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/it-has-been-said-that-after-meeting-with-the-great-british-prime/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“resource leverage was as strategically important as resource allocation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/resource-leverage-was-as-strategically-important-as-resource/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) [Explore all 107 Liz Wiseman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“changing a culture meant changing the conversation. And, to change the conversation, people would need new words, especially words about behaviors that would lead to winning results.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liz Wiseman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-conversation-and-to-change-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-conversation-and-to-change-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/liz-wiseman-4720_communication_changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-co_1030383.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/liz-wiseman-4720_communication_changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-co_1030383.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/liz-wiseman-4720_communication_changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-co_1030383.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“changing a culture meant changing the conversation. And, to change the conversation, people would need new…” — Liz Wiseman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Liz Wiseman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“changing a culture meant changing the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-conversation-and-to-change-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/changing-a-culture-meant-changing-the-conversation-and-to-change-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```