I’ve thought a great deal about change lately. There are so many different contexts, and so many different forces at work. As an American, my head is spinning from the broad strokes of political whimsy that occur following an election. As a fledgling senior citizen, I need to make decisions and changes that are, by all accounts, irreversible. As a human, I think of changes that I can effect, or at least support, to preserve our planet’s beauty and diversity.

At a personal level, change has never really intimidated me. If I get bored, I can rearrange the furniture, paint a wall, color my hair, or change jobs. Heck, as an empty-nester, I embraced relocation opportunities on-the-job and enjoyed living in several different States. Truly; while living abroad would be a wonderful opportunity, you would be amazed at the colloquial and cultural differences in different regions of our own country. Perspective is a wonderful thing that is enriched when we venture outside our established norms.

There are some problems associated with change, however. It can keep you from leveling-up. In our youth, we sometimes abandon wonderful teachers and potential mentors because they seem to ask too much of us. We leave jobs because we become frustrated about policies that don’t make sense, and sometimes we leave relationships because we get tired of trying to see eye to eye with our partner. I’m not suggesting that we should never seek change; merely, that sometimes we can work within those circumstances to promote the sort of change that makes things better for others as well.

Its wonderful to help facilitate change within an organization. Its optimal to learn how to have constructive dialogs with mentors. That capacity enables us to build on knowledge, talent, and capabilities. We should certainly look for ways to remediate and strengthen our personal relationships whenever possible (That said, if you are in a volatile situation; get out fast! Speaking from experience: If your “workaholic” tendencies are exacerbated because the workplace is your “safe place,” don’t imagine that others in your household are unscathed. They are not).

While change is important, and sometimes critically so; it does deserve a modicum of consideration. Remember in school when the candidate for class president promised free ice cream everyday in the lunchroom? Did anyone really believe that would happen? I know we are jaded by political promises, but could anything possibly be more terrifying than the consequences associated with implementation of a disruptive agenda? Its the butterfly effect on steroids! This is not a political post, but since most of us know someone who has unexpectedly been impacted by political decisions it makes a great segue to environmental change.

Throughout history, great inventions have powered the progress of industry, science, and technology. Over time, we have learned that unanticipated consequences are a significant by-product of that progress. Scientists can anticipate a reaction based on the results of previous experimentation, but even today, cannot predict every potential outcome. The brain trust of science is examining how living things down to the molecular level interact with one another. It warms my heart to know that we have scientists like my niece, Ashley Beckwith the Founder of Foray Bioscience, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYXAhOxawnM&ab_channel=TEDxTalks and Thomas Crowther https://crowtherlab.com/#lity-modal-the-global-movement-to-restore-natures-biodiversity Who are dedicated to turning back the hands of time and preserving and regenerating the forests that are so impactful to our planet’s health.

We humans are embroiled in change all the time. Many things are beyond our realm of control. We certainly need to seriously consider the impacts of the changes we make, or refrain from making, at each juncture. We should also be compassionate about the effects of indiscriminate change upon others. Change can be a wonderful thing when we consider the wider implications of our actions, or a horrible thing when our decisions hurt others in the process. What we can easily agree on however, is that being conservative in our use of natural resources, and thoughtful about our disposal methods will be a change that all can benefit from. In all things…Be kind.

Is there some new, unwritten grammatical guideline to help baby-boomers decipher vague and unpunctuated text messages in the workplace? I feel like I am walking a tightrope from which one side, I fall into the abyss of “asking too many questions,” and on the other, “wrongly assuming I can interpret the message correctly.”

It reminds me of a vintage Saturday Night Live skit featuring the late Ed Asner. The scene opens with Ed (a retiring engineer in a nuclear power station) and his team sitting at the reactor’s control console. Ed tells the team that “the most important thing to remember is that you can’t put too much water in a nuclear reactor.” No sooner have the words left his mouth, Ed keels over dead, and the alarms in the reactor begin to blare. The scientists engage in a frenzied discussion about whether they should add water or not add water. Naturally, the skit ends on an explosive note.

What I do in the workplace, these days, is not rocket science. In fact, I abdicated my management career for a job that simply allows me to be accountable for my own work. The job is quite fun, and gives me time to run my travel business, but the communication flow…not so much. Admittedly, the traditional standards for clear communication were drummed into my head during my pursuit of degrees in retail management and education, but I am shocked and dismayed by what I am seeing.

1. If you are sending a text message that references an email, please ensure everyone is getting the email (especially if there has recently been a problem with that).

2. Please be concise. If the most important part of the message is that no one needs to report to work tomorrow… say that!  

3. Please use punctuation. For example, “please check email for no deliveries tomorrow.” Does that mean the email will arrive tomorrow?

We laugh about punctuation memes and poor communication on social media, but it’s not funny. Furthermore, no one deserves to be condescended to, when clarification is warranted. People become successful by asking questions and gaining a clear understanding of expectations and responsibilities. It would behoove us all to be clear communicators and generous with insights. If we want a robust workforce, let’s stop being lazy about how we communicate.