Our thoughts and words matter.

If you ever doubted this, take a look at the fascinating book The Hidden Messages in Water, by Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto. He photographs water at the point of freezing, when it forms crystals. Each crystal is surprisingly unique.

Even more surprising is the fact that when someone directs positive or encouraging thoughts toward the water, the crystals become beautiful. When someone directs critical or negative thoughts toward the water, it forms unsightly shapes.

Add to the novelty of this experiment the fact that the human body is composed of 70% water, and it really gives us something to think about.

We’ve known for many years that too much stress can make us sick. Now we understand that negative thoughts and words may have an equally detrimental effect. What we say to others has an effect on them, either positive or negative.

As leaders, this awareness is particularly important right now. The business climate is tougher and more competitive than it was a couple of years ago. The economy is less than robust (I’m trying not to be negative!). We may be working with smaller staffs, and trying to accomplish more with less. Flat is the new up.

Increased expectations plus decreased resources equals stress for both you and your employees. While a little stress is actually energizing, unrelenting stress is immobilizing, destructive and decreases productivity.

Just when you need employees to be more committed, engaged and productive than ever, you very likely have fewer resources to motivate them. No budget for bonuses, not even a budget for extra time off.

The good news is that studies show the most effective motivation is completely free. Employees are highly motivated by feeling like they contribute to a shared goal and are appreciated for their efforts. Positive reinforcement costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.

Take a look around and see who needs appreciation. Make it a point to use the simple words, “Thank you” or “Good job.” Be as specific as possible and relate your appreciation to specific behavior. “Thanks for getting that report done quickly. The data you provided helped us make the right decision.”

The benefits of positive reinforcement apply to you too! Our self-talk affects how we think and feel. Listen carefully to the talk that’s going through your head and notice how much of it is negative. Are you telling yourself you are incapable? Or disorganized? Or confused? The next time you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself, remember the photographs of the water as it freezes — that is what you are doing to yourself, or to others.

We can choose to create beautiful crystals or unsightly blobs. We can choose to write off Emoto’s book as a novel, new-age experiment or we can choose to acknowledge that words and thoughts have power. Our power can be positive or negative.

Our energy goes out into our workplace and into the world like the ripples from a pebble thrown into a still pond. Are our “ripples” that we put into the world fostering more negative or more positive behavior?

Positive words and appreciation are needed more now than ever. I invite you to experiment with this idea yourself. Take a week at your office and make it a point to use positive encouragement with your employees, your co-workers and yourself.

Let me know what happens!