Leadership requires a lot of things like strategic thinking, poise, integrity, and commitment to your vision and to others. But sometimes people forget that true leadership also requires a certain language and clarity in deliverance in addition to other typical leadership qualities. In order to have a powerful and effective influence on people, leaders need strong communication skills to clearly and concisely explain everything from large-scale goals to individual tasks. Not to mention, leaders need to rely on a certain language that promotes positivity and motivation. And at times, this means cutting certain phrases out of your vocabulary. Here are 3 things true leaders should never say.

“It wasn’t my fault, but…”

True leaders take responsibility for their strengths and their shortcomings. Moreover, they don’t focus their attention on placing blame on others or shifting attention by pointing out the flaws in someone else because they know this mentality doesn’t help the team as a whole reach the goals. Instead, it deters the vision and takes valuable time away from making progress on things that matter. Instead, when things go wrong, true leaders don’t focus attention on placing blame, but rather on how to use their time and knowledge to figure out the next steps to success.

“I already know that.”

There is nothing worse than a know-it-all––especially a know-it-all in a leadership position. And needless to say, as humans, we will never know everything anyways, so you’re better off leaving this mentality behind from the get-go. But when it comes to leadership specifically, it’s important to remain open-minded and respectful to others ideas and opinions. There is a reason it’s been said that it’s what you find out after you think you know everything that will truly get you to where you want to be.

“I don’t have time for that.”

The best leaders never assume that their time, schedule, or to-do list is more important than someone else’s. As a leader, you will gain respect from everyone if you remain respectful and honor other people’s time just as much as your own. Instead of simply delegating tasks to other people on your team, work with everyone to create a priorities list, so that you come up with assigned tasks together.

Leaders know how to articulate their entire sentiments with ease while remaining mindful of others, and choosing the right words plays such an important role in commanding respect.