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Word Nerd Wednesday – CARAT/KARAT
I’ve always loved jewelry. Maybe it’s because my parents met working in a jewelry store! Still, I never knew the origin of the words “carat” (measure of gemstone weight) or “karat” (measure of gold purity) until last week when I watched a documentary on the ancient Nabateans. Back then, seeds of the Carob tree were … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – BALANCE
I was listening to a podcast the other day when the speaker said something that caught my ear. She said “CEOs have to deal with three stakeholder groups – customers, employees, and investors. All three of these groups, if left to their own devices, would bankrupt the company.” It was an elegant way of articulating … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – CYNICISM
I’ve written and talked a lot about trust lately, and one thing keeps bugging me – the verbal clunkiness of the terms “high trust” and “low trust” culture. Are they descriptive? Yes. Do they roll off the tongue? No. It’s not a huge problem, but we word nerds are always searching for a better way. … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – ORIGIN
What is your organization’s origin story? How do the current mission and culture compare to the founder’s original vision? If you’re trying to rally employees or change corporate culture, it’s worth finding out. A company’s origin story can say more about it’s core values than a word-smithed corporate mission statement ever could. Fast Company recently … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – EMBIGGEN
Some words are just fun to say. Like “embiggen.” True, it’s not technically a word, but I came across it in a blog post by author Phil Simon. He’d written the following below an image in the post: “Click to embiggen.” Confession: Reading it made me giggle. Serious adults aren’t supposed to giggle, I know. … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – CONUNDRUM
“Conondrum” isn’t one of those words that you hear every day. It’s thought to be a word that Oxford students made up in the 1600 as a way to mock the overly formal Latin they all had to learn. If that’s true – well done, mates. You created a useful word that is also oddly … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – AUGUST
To call someone “august” is to say they are venerable, majestic, noble. I find it ironic that the month of August – named such in honor of Julius Augustus Caesar – has none of those qualities, at least not for me. A more fitting name in my mind would be “Almost.” There are no major … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – TENSION
Is there any such thing as good tension? Most uses of the word are negative – there was tension in the room, my back is really tense. But tension isn’t always bad. Avoiding it can cause bigger problem. This was the core idea of a recent HBR article that’s worth reading. It’s about what makes … Read more
The Power of Trust
I was chatting with a friend about summer camp recently. Wow, did that bring back memories! I generally loved camp. Boating, swimming, archery, and arts & crafts were a nice change from classrooms and homework. But there was one thing camp counselors always tried to get me to do that I refused. Trust falls. If … Read more
