Business isn’t violent, but the way we talk about it often is

Step into any boardroom, listen to a startup pitch, or read a business news headline, and you'll likely encounter a vocabulary brimming with aggression. We talk about "targeting" customers, "attacking" markets, "crushing" the competition, and "taking no prisoners."

While often used metaphorically, the language of modern business and entrepreneurship is full of terms rooted in combat and conquest. This isn't just a figure of speech, it’s a language problem with real-world consequences. These metaphors can shape how we treat others, reinforce outdated gender roles, and help normalize toxic behaviours in business.

Words we don't think twice about

We rarely pause to notice how much everyday business talk sounds like preparing for war. Here are just a few familiar terms:

• Military and combat

• Target , Attack , Defense , Front lines, Beach-head, Battle, Blitz, Fortify, Spearhead, Weaponize

• Forceful acquisition and dominance

• Takeover, Hostile acquisition, Seize opportunities, Penetrate markets, Dominate

• Aggressive action and destruction

• Crush, Eliminate, Annihilate, Disrupt, Undermine, Cutthroat

Taken together, these words paint a vivid picture, not of collaboration, curiosity, or growth, but of combat. Of winning by defeating others. And that mindset shows up in how we lead and relate.

How business success became a masculine ideal

This kind of language didn’t just show up by accident. Business has long been a male-dominated space. And over time, that’s influenced how we define success.

Phrases like warrior, gladiator, conqueror, and alpha male carry clear signals. They frame leadership as dominance and success as victory over others. When we say someone is “killing it” or “crushing the competition,” we’re not just cheering them on, we’re reinforcing an idea that to win, someone else must lose.

When language shapes behaviour

The words we use matter. They can reinforce habits, justify decisions, and set the tone for entire teams or industries.

• Shaping mindsets: Young professionals, especially men, may come to believe that aggression equals effectiveness. That being ruthless is the same as being driven.
• Leaving others out: This kind of language can exclude people who don’t identify with combative leadership styles, especially women, but also many men.
• Breeding toxicity: When the tone is all about attacking, eliminating, and winning, it’s easier for harmful behaviour to go unchecked. Empathy and ethics can get sidelined.

How other cultures talk about business

Metaphors are everywhere in business. But the ones we reach for vary a lot depending on language and culture.

In English, especially American English, business talk leans heavily on combat. It’s “war rooms” and “battle plans.” But in many other cultures, people use metaphors from nature, family, or everyday life.

• In some Eastern cultures, you might hear about “tending a garden” or “navigating a river.” The emphasis is on flow, patience, and harmony.
• In German, idioms often reference animals or household objects. They’re vivid, but not violent.

What this means in practice

For global businesses, metaphors don’t always translate. What sounds bold and energizing in one culture might come across as hostile or overbearing in another. A Western exec saying they want to “crush the deal” may not impress a client from a culture that values humility and balance.

As English continues to be the global language of business, its metaphors are everywhere. But shared language doesn’t mean shared meaning. And misalignment can quietly undermine trust.

What if we spoke differently?

Do we really need to “fight” for market share? Or could we frame our work as building something valuable, solving meaningful problems, or exploring new ideas?

Changing the words we use isn’t about softening the edges of ambition. It’s about opening up space for new ways of thinking, leading, and collaborating. When we replace metaphors of destruction with those of growth, we shift what gets rewarded, and who feels like they belong.

Language is never just language. It’s culture in action.

Final thoughts

Language is a mirror, and a lever. If we want a business world rooted in innovation, empathy, and inclusion, we can start by listening more carefully to the words we use every day.

This isn’t about being precious with language, or diluting competitive drive. It’s about understanding the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, about what success looks like. Words like “battle” and “crush” may feel energizing in the moment, but over time, they can also desensitize us to collaboration, narrow our thinking, and subtly elevate dominance over insight.

By interrogating our metaphors, we don’t lose edge, we gain awareness. We create space for a wider range of leadership voices, problem-solving approaches, and ways of working together. We remind ourselves that business isn’t war. It’s a human system, built and rebuilt every day by people making choices, including linguistic ones.

And those choices matter more than ever. We are living in an increasingly globalized business environment where North American metaphors and sensibilities are no longer the default. What inspires one market may alienate another. At the same time, gender parity in business is improving, with more women taking leadership roles and redefining what successful, inclusive entrepreneurship can look like.

So the question becomes: how can we lead with language that reflects this changing world? How can we foster connection, creativity, and shared progress, instead of domination and zero-sum thinking?

If we want to build better businesses, maybe we start by building better sentences.