Semantics Matter (Reclaiming the Meaning of our Words)

Words are important.  And as we become increasing submerged in social media, instant messaging blogging, and email as primary forms of communication, the importance of words is becoming amplified.  The less we communicate face to face, or even voice to voice, the more critical it becomes to use the right words because the impact of inflection and body language are lost.

But, I feel like we are getting more careless by the day in how we use our words.  We have taken words that once had a specific and powerful meaning, and stripped them of their dignity.  I'm not suggesting heading down a path of recommending the creation of a "word police" or some revision of our free speech rights.  People should be entitled to use whatever words they want, I just think we all need to be more intentional and thoughtful in the words we choose to use.

For example, take the word "hate."  When you really dig into the depth of what this word means, it represents a powerful and dangerous emotion.  Hatred is heavy and it has caused some otherwise decent people to do some pretty horrific things to other people throughout history.  It's a word that packs a lot of punch.  And yet, we say things like "I hate it when my spell checker misses a word" or "I hate it when people forget to turn in their TPS report."  That's not hate.  My wife and I have forbidden the use of this word in our house, not because of limiting speech, but rather because we don't believe in giving voice to this destructive emotion.  "Hate" is not a word to be tossed around.  When you use it, it should be with intention.

In the business world, we are expert at taking meaningful words and stripping them of their dignity.  Take one of my favorite phrases, "performance management," as an example.  When you just consider the two words and what that phrase means, it's important stuff.  It's by pairing this powerful phrase with efforts and processes that are often poorly designed or worse, pointless and harmful, that these words have lost their power.  And too often we've just stood by and watched as this injustice has taken place.

So, here's a list of some of the words that I'd like to put on your radar with the hope that we can begin a movement to reclaim them.  They are too important and hold too much promise to not fight for them.

• Leader
• Love
• Passion
• Hate
• Friend
• Authentic
• Accountable
• Best
• Team
• Talent
• Diversity
• Perform
• Communication
• Leadership

The list could probably go on for days.  What words do you want to add to the list and why?  And how shall we reclaim them?  

What would you wish for?

Last night, my son was watching a TV show where the story line apparently included a genie being released from a lamp to grant 3 wishes.  After a few minutes, he asked me, "What would you do if you were were granted 3 wishes?  What would you wish for?"

It's one of those questions that I haven't really contemplated since I was a kid.  My wife was with me in the kitchen when the question was posed, so what followed was a really interesting conversation about what our 3 wishes would be.  I won't bore you with our responses, but I will say that the I found the answers to this question to be insightful.

And I love a great question.  After noodling about it, I think this could be a great interview question that could get a person to reveal themselves in ways that are usually difficult to achieve in an interview.  Test yourself:

What would you wish for if you were granted 3 wishes?  

The answer to this question reveals where your values lie.  Do you think of others or do you focus on yourself? What kinds of things do you wish for yourself or others?

The answer also reveals if you are short or long-term focused and the degree to which you are strategic.  Do you wish for specific things with short term utility or do you wish for resources that would help get many things with short and long term utility?

This question also tests your creative and flexibility.  Do you accept the question and try to make the answers meaningful, despite it being a whimsical exercises?  Or did you reject the question as silly and only answer half-heartedly?

Whether you use the question for interviewing or just for fun, it's a fun one to think about.

Authenticity Shouldn't be a Competitive Advantage

I wrote last week about some brand development work I've been doing.  Part of that process involved asking people who have experienced me and my work to provide me some feedback on what makes me unique, what they appreciate about my work.  

One of the things that emerged as a theme in the feedback I received was that people described both my writing and speaking as very authentic.  This was music to my ears personally, because I try to live my life in a "what you see is what you get" kind of way.  I'm not sure it makes any sense to me to strive to live in any other way than authentically to who you are.  

But, then I started reflecting a little further on this feedback and I became a little unsettled, and maybe even a little disheartened.  I was bothered not by the fact that my network and customers described me as authentic, but that we live in a world where authenticity has become a competitive advantage.  

When I really sat and considered this insight, it hit me pretty hard.  This wasn't new information.  For nearly a decade, I struggled to fit in within corporate America because the forces of conformity are almost overpowering there.  I know that authenticity has become increasing difficult in a world that seems to be designed to help us "fit in."  I just didn't realize (or had been trying to ignore) how significant this issue has become.  I see it more clearly now than ever. 

And we need to make some progress. 

This process has emboldened me with the awareness that I need to protect my own authenticity even more fiercely than I have in the past.  Partly because it's healthy.  And partly because I want to be an example for others. 

There is no greater reward in life than being able to live life on your own terms and being accepted for it.  Authenticity shouldn't be a competitive differentiator, it should be the norm.  What should differentiate us is our actual difference, not the degree to which we truly reveal that difference to the world.  

Work Doesn't have to Suck

If you follow my blog regularly, you probably know that I also blog with my colleague, Joe Gerstandt, over at the Talent Anarchy blog.  Lately, we've been discussing work and why, in our opinions, it doesn't seem to be working.  

A few weeks ago, Joe asked the question "Do we need a new eithic of work?"  This was a great question that got me to thinking, how do we make work better?  For me, the heavy burden at the moment lies with the individual employee.  The reason work sucks for so many people today is because we've allowed it to happen. The reality of the marketplace is that talent is still king and great talent is in high demand, but we've been content to accept whatever conditions our employers dish out to us.  To take back control of this relationship requires some different action.  

So, my response to Joe was that we, as the 'workers' need to take it upon ourselves to seize control of our work experience and to create the leverage we need to drive change, not just for ourselves, but in the system.  Business is adaptive and it will change to meet our needs only once we draw a line in the sand and declare that we've had enough.  

To accomplish this, I wrote a series of posts that lay out how I believe that we can take back control of our work experience.  Here are the links to those posts if you are interested. 

1. We need to take back control of work.
2. Self-awareness
3. Personal accountability
4. Exceptional skill and abilities
5. Network
6. Fierce authenticity
7. Commitment

If you take the time to review these posts, I'd love your thoughts and feedback.  Do you agree with this list?  What did I miss?  Do you have examples to share of how this approach has worked for you or someone you know?

Work can make work better.  I'm certain of it.  But, it's not going to happen until we decide to make it so.  

What makes you different?

I've been doing a lot of introspection over the past several months.  Making the transition from a corporate HR executive to HR Consultant and speaker requires some pretty serious mindset shifts. Through this process, one question keeps coming up for me to focus on and wrestle with. 

"What makes you different from everyone else?"

This is a really important question when you are trying to sell your services to others.  But, it's also a critical question to consider as a professional in any field (we are all selling our services whether we recognize it or not).  It is the answer to this question to makes us stand out, that differentiates us from the person in the office or cubicle next to us.

Where this question gets really important is when you consider the gap between how others would answer this question about your (their perception of your uniqueness) and how you actually intend to stand out (your aspirations and intentions).  Bringing these two things into alignment goes a long way towards helping you find your way to the job of your dreams.  

To really excel within any career, it's important to wrestle with this question.  Not once, but with regularity over the years. Standing out is what makes you memorable.  

Be memorable.