Language

The words we use matter.  If we are careless in the language that we use, it indicates a carelessness in thinking.  The language we choose reflects our thinking.  Similarly, the words we use can subtly change our thinking.  Consider the following:

• When we travel, we aren’t travelers in a foreign land but foreigners in a traveled land.
• An employee or a customer who is wheelchair bound isn't a handicap or a handicapped person, but a person with a handicap.
• When we are addressing a customer service issue, we are not dealing with a soon-to-be former customer with a complaint but a customer who was not satisfied.  Or if you are a glass half full kind of person, we are dealing with a customer who is giving us a chance to improve.

To some extent we are talking about semantics.  But how we label things makes a difference in how we think and act toward those things.  In a recent blog, I shared a quote by Abraham Lincoln: "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

Would you rather deal with problems or opportunities?  Would you rather be managing a response or leading your team to the answer?  Would you rather be a disruptor or a change agent?

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Bringing Up The Past

I was reading some older entries in one of my favorite blogs on marketing Seth Godin"s Blog and came across an interesting quote:  "A significant byproduct of the connection revolution is that things that were private because they were difficult to measure will no longer be private. When devices can talk to each other, the information rarely remains private." 


We have certainly seen this to be true in recent years as politicians and business leaders have to contend with statements and video clips, often taken out of context, of their earlier deeds and misdeeds.


Facebook now lets people see messages you sent and received from years ago.  With online newspaper logs and a wealth of resources online, not only does information rarely remain private, but the past no longer stays in its place.


I wonder, however, if we are getting close to a point where someone's incongruous past will cease to be sensational or to have a significant impact.  Kind of like tattoos; if everyone has them, they no longer have the power to shock.