Last week, I wrote a BLArticle™ that took me longer to write than any other BLArticle™ I’ve written in the past two years. There were so many lessons in the Jeremy Lin story; I wanted to get it just right. Well, I almost did, but one word seemed to throw the message off a bit. I used the word, “hero,” to describe Jeremy Lin, and I used it to describe Seabiscuit as well. A friend of mine, who not only reads my weekly BLArticles™ but also frequently comments on them, posted this response:
“I don’t believe the word “hero” is quite correct – I would say that Jeremy Lin and Seabiscuit are more “inspirations” then heroes. They excel at their jobs. I excel at mine, but I don’t consider myself a hero. You excel at yours… do you consider yourself a hero? Our men and women in the military, the police, firefighters, EMT’s, all of our folks on the front line… THEY are heroes.”
This week marks the passing of Lee Jolles; a true hero
How can you argue with that logic? I went back and edited that BLArticle™ to fix my oversight, and to show respect to those who are true heroes. True heroes like my father, Lee Jolles, courageously fought for our country in not just one, but two wars in two wars – Now Lee Jolles was a hero.
Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right word, but that doesn’t diminish how important the right word can really be. A couple of days ago, I went with my wife Ronni to grab a quick dinner at the Silver Diner restaurant. I don’t know why, but I was craving a biscuit, and if you have ever been to Silver Diner, you probably know why. The biscuits there are fresh and fluffy, and if you are going to splurge on a biscuit, this is the place to do it!
It’s not necessarily good for you to eat these biscuits all the time, and for me, it had been a few years since I had one. When my biscuit arrived at the table, I took a big bite with great anticipation. It was neither fresh, nor fluffy. I didn’t think it was possible to have your heartbroken over a biscuit, yet there I was, wallowing in my broken and stale biscuit. When the waitress came over a few minutes later and asked her obligatory “how’s everything” question, I could not hold back. “Well, my meal was fine, but, well, it’s this biscuit. It was my first biscuit here in years, and it was stale.”
Expecting an apology of some sort, I received something else that was a bit unexpected. I received a different word. “You mean crispy! Sometimes our cooks like to give those biscuits a soft top, and keep the bottom nice and crispy.” Then she looked me straight in the eyes and smiled.
Please understand that both of us knew the biscuit was stale, but that one word, along with that smile, made me smile. Then it made me laugh. I went from being disappointed to being entertained. One word salvaged the biscuit, the meal, and a full tip for our waitress. As a matter of fact, I found her description of my long-awaited biscuit so entertaining that I gave her a higher tip than usual. She earned it.
As a Xerox salesman, we were taught to never use the word, “cheap,” and we didn’t allow our clients to use it either. When we heard a prospect say, “We’re just looking for a cheap machine,” we would swoop in with a couple of words of our own: “By ‘cheap,’ I’m assuming you mean ‘cost effective?” It was hard to argue with that logic, and most prospects would immediately nod sheepishly. Xerox equipment was never going to be “cheap” equipment, but “cost effective?” You bet. Now we had a couple of words we could work with.
Too often, we might choose the wrong word and we can lose a meaningful moment. By the same token, we can find the right word, and make a moment inspiring. It might be worthwhile for us to take that extra moment to look for the right word… even for those of us who may be writing a BLArticle™.
Been there too Rob. It is so easy to run with a great idea!. Sometimes we just don’t have the time to let it sit and germinate for a day or two before going to press. The right change of term and presto – a winning article.
Hi Rob! Thanks again for another great BLarticle. Lee Jolles sure is a true hero (I like the word “is” not “was” because he’s still a hero to me). I think Jerry Lin and Seabiscuit were “role models” and inspirational to be the best you can be in your job. A hero for me is doing something not required of you that requires great courage. A spouse taking care of an Alzheimer partner, a fireman at 911, many couragous people in this world including Lee who inspired so many young men. Keep up the great articles Rob. Bob
Rob, you make an outstanding point regarding wording, and it’s so frequently overlooked in the fast pace of today’s business and personal climate. Is climate the right word here?… how about evolving interaction paradigm? Though I did not know Lee, it sounds like he was indeed a hero in the truest since of the word. My condolences as he moves on.
Others have touched on the BLarticle aspects most salient, but one aspect did catch my “intellect”…the biscuit story was of particular interest, as while reading of the evolving situation, the first response that popped into my mind was, “how could she minimize the “pain” of disappointment and how could she think I would be naive enough to believe the twisted reality being portrayed?”. I like your thought process much better (recognizing the negotiation skill and empathy), and it’s a reminder that in these times, we must vigilantly seek out the positive in every day events, as it is these which over the long term create inspirations, role models, and heroes.
Keep up the great verbiage. Mike
Hi Rob,
Thank you for the Blarticle and point of reflection on words and how we define what matters.
I am struck by how we live in a new age of incredible information sharing, yet there is less time for reflection and introspection. We often focus more on speed than meaning. A recent Smithsonian study concluded that over the next 80 years, native languages around the world will be lost at a rate of one every two weeks; this reflects a tremendous loss of culture and identity.
One of my favorite quotes is a gem by Mark Twain: “The difference between finding the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lighting and a lightning bug.”
Thanks for reaching for the lightning! Blessings, Will
Rob, wow. Isn’t it amazing what a “second eye” can do? Tom is frequently published in the AJC (Atlanta’s newspaper – Atlanta Journal Constitution), and he asks me to proof-read him. Tom is a very engaged writer, as you are, and it is not only an honor, but VERY flattering when my suggestions are taken. Thank you.
Rob;
Another article that provides me a moment to ponder. Thanks for that.
A hero can be exposed in many ways. Most would agree that carrying out acts of valor while under personal danger defines a hero. Others would include persons that persevere on a course of action to benefit the greater good despite significant obstacles – a whistle blower perhaps. Some may even consider people that perform good deeds with no thought of quid pro quo to be heroes – a noble quality. Persons may include all of these as heros – others not. The right word in many ways seems to come down to a consensus on the definition of the word.
As for your waitress, she appears to have found another way of using the right word. She went beyond the commonly held definitions of stale or crispy – she captured the positive connotation of crispy and helped that to lighten the mood. Sometimes the right word is the wrong word, especially when feelings come into play. Brilliant!
Kudos to your Father; by any and all definitions; he is a hero. David O.
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