I have been pondering the concept of leadership for some time. I will admit that I am still practicing it, and probably will be for quite some time. I am encouraged by some of the feedback I am receiving that indicates that I am getting better at being a good leader, but I know I still have a long way to go.
I have observed, with the advent of mass use of instant messaging within my organization, use of good spelling, grammar, and communication skills are falling to the wayside. There was a time when you would see the occasional acronym (lol, brb). We have gone from an organization that barely understands net abbreviations to an organization of near l33t sp33k.
As someone who cannot stand “R U there?” and “ut”, this shift in communications is driving me absolutely batty. How hard is it to type a coherent sentence or question? Is it really such a terrible challenge to use a language we spent most of our lives using? I really do not understand this whole mentality of lazy typing.
Ironically, I wonder what impact this will have on the young. With as early as kids are getting mobile phones with texting, and even learning to instant message with family members, how long will it take before they learn texting language patterns before learning proper language skills? Imagine the Samsung commercial with Ozzy Ozbourne, where no one can understand Ozzy and he uses his phone to text instead of speaking, becoming the reality of how kids learn to communicate. Imagine coming to the table for dinner and having no clue how to understand your kids. Oh, wait, that’s probably the reality anyway, given generational gaps. Nonetheless, the irony is not lost on me as I watch the shift in language and behavior with the advent of all of this time saving technology that ultimately degrades our ability to communicate.
Today I was reminded of an important lesson. People create an unusual dynamic for your day and dramatically affect its outcome. How tired they are, their personality, their agenda for the day, their goals, their dreams, all of these affect how they present themselves to you.
I received an unfavorable response to open honesty about what I perceived of my next few weeks of my life. I received a different response from someone else about my weekend plans. I received yet another response about weekend plans and long term goals. These different interactions left me at the day wondering what shifted in my day. Was it the other people I encountered today, or how I received their feedback?
Rolling back a few hours earlier, I had a series of challenging discussions with co-workers. The effect of these conversations was to gradually diminish my ability to accomplish anything this afternoon. My drive dissipated because I perceived a lack of value in the output I generated.
Rolling forward past the evening events, I was accosted by a fellow guest at the hotel who rudely directed me away from the patio I frequent in my free time. She surely intended to politely respond to my presence, but the delivery was poor, and I walked away disgruntled and ready to provide very negative feedback to the hotel management. I have since calmed down, but it was a shock to be blocked from my frequent pattern for no obvious reason.
Is it me, or is it them? Probably, it is a combination of both, but it is more convenient and comfortable to externalize than to inspect the internal issues related to the situation. I think both created opportunities for a different day, yet my own reactions leave me, this evening, poignant and disappointed.
What will tomorrow bring? Who hardly knows. But tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity, and a new chance to have a good day.
I suppose, let’s see what it brings, shall we?
I saw a very funny sign today while shopping on vacation. It read:
To err is human, to forgive is against company policy.
It’s funny in the sense that we all get a kick out of it. However, if you step back far enough, you realize that it is all too true in the business world. We do not forgive or forget in the business world — at least, not easily, nor readily. We hold people accountable for things long past their forgivable due date and treat them like second-class citizens long past a reasonable period.
I’m not sure that this is the right thing to do, though I know I too am guilty of doing it (at least teasingly). I get very irritated when others do it to me, and even joke about my past transgressions myself, yet I am just as bad about not letting someone off the hook for some recoverable error, even years after its occurrence.
To err is certainly human. To forgive is divine, even if it is not in accordance with company policy. Maybe we should change company policy where and when we can so that we can all lead a happier existence during our adult careers.
It’s been a while since I last posted. About two months. And then a bit before that. It’s been a little quiet in terms of my writing since January. Mark it up as busy, or life changes, or poor time management. Tonight as I sit here, I find that there are some lessons I’ve learned about myself along the way. Tonight, I give you my next episode of Thursday Thirteen with thirteen things I have learned this year that have helped me find myself.
No clue whether anyone is still reading this or not, given my low posting rate. That aside, life has been very busy tghis year. It is only this week that I have managed to slow down a bit and take some time for myself. So, a camping we will go!
I am sitting at my campsite in the Top of the Caves campground in the Hocking Hills area of Ohio, the whole place to myself. Okay, well, there are animal visitors and my co- camper, but you get what I mean. It is incredibly devoid of normal human sounds - just crickets, cats, and racoons. There are only a couple of lights other than my lantern and the campfire. You can actually even see the stars.
The air is crisp and clear, the temperature moderate, and the air mattress comfortable. The hiking was invigorating, even if it did take a toll on my knees and ankles. I managed to snap a few pictures, mostly keepers, including a few of the masked bandit that stole the Hershey’s bars (the racoon). Tomorrow should be fun too, with a little hiking before heading home.
The biggest revelation was that it is getting harder and harder to escape the office, no matter where you go. My Blackberrys had more signal in the bottom of the Old Man’s Cave trail than in my own house. How do I know this? My work Blackberry kept going off with URGENT messages from the office. Maybe the beach will have less signal.
At any rate, a good trip, some peace and quiet, and some much needed rest. Well worth the effort.
–
Benjamin D. Wiechel
bwiechel@genx2k.com
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Continuation of a Thursday Thirteen series brought to you by Strycher.
Thirteen goals I have for 2008 in my photography hobby are:
Here’s an interesting thought to consider. What is love? It has been postulated that love intrinsically involves sex, others claim that love can exist without sex, and others require passion before love can exist. My own experiences say that passion and love may sometimes seem like the same thing, but often enough are not the same thing. Passion is very emotional and consuming, it overcomes our whole being sometimes. We confuse it, and misunderstand it to be a strong loving emotional response instead of the carnal craving that it truly is. It is the all-consuming nature that causes this confusion, because it is so strong that it blinds us.
“Liquid Cocaine”
The rush slowly begins
Warmth spreading throughout
Liquid fire
Coursing through your veins
Like a drug it consumes
An addictive desire grows
Initiated by the touch of another
The passion of carnal craving
Breathless
The electricity of your lover
Drives you wild with desire
Trembling, fully of excitement
Much like an addiction
You are drawn into the tumult
Inescapable
A vortex, inexplicable
Beyond language and reason
It sucks you down in
A warm, comfortable blanket
Glowing warmth overcomes you
Pleasantly pulsing
You succumb and give in
Mind, soul, emotion and body
The addiction complete
Passion consumes us
Humans that we are
Seeking, pursuing
Craving the chase and climax
We beg for it with each breath
A trial of wanting and fire
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Continuation of a Thursday Thirteen series brought to you by Strycher.
Thirteen Items Commonly Forgotten on Trips
So, a funny story. When I went on a trip recently, as I waited at the other end of security for some co-workers to catch up, I noticed that one of them got stopped by security. He was asked to empty his pockets, his bag was searched in detail, he was scanned, re-scanned, and scanned some more, before they finally released him through. When he walked up, he explained that he had forgotten his driver’s license and thus had to go through extra security scanning. His warning was, do not forget your license unless you really like airport security. At least he did not have to submit to a body cavity search.
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