Remember the saying “stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”?  Well, I think we can all state that words can hurt you.  When we call someone by a name that name sticks and can cause us to have lower self-esteem.  If someone in your life time called you stupid, for instances, you may have held that label all these years.  You may find yourself inwardly telling yourself that you’re stupid when in fact you are not.

At times the intent of the person speaking is to promote positive.  Wow, you’re smart!  Or you are so bold!  These labels, smart and bold, can been interpreted by the receiver as a negative.  Perhaps being told you are smart leaves you with the dread of always having to know the answers.  You have the reputation of smart to live up to.  We are always trying to live up to people’s expectations for us.

When I am dealing with clients I always ask them to remove labels.  So many times people will tell me that they are not good enough because they have ADD or are dyslexic or simply state they have a learning disability.  All of these are labels and we tend to live to the label.  Remove the label and you will see just how far you can go.

I’m not saying that the person doesn’t have ADD or isn’t dyslexic.  These are real situations, but there are ways to move past the label.  Need I bring up all the people in the world who are a success regardless of a label someone placed on them?

Enjoy live, value your differences, remove the labels and take action to have the life you always wanted.  After all, you hold the keys!  Oh and watch what you call people, it does hurt!

In case you are wondering who some of the “famous” people with dyslexia are here is a short list:

Cher, Henry Winkler, Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci, Alexander Graham Bell, Agatha Christie, Albert Einstein, Dale S. Brown, Danny Grover,  Walt Disney, Tom Cruise,  Winston Churchill, Whoopi Goldberg,  George Patton, Nelson Rockafeller, Charles Schwab

I was having a conversation today and layoffs was once again a hot topic.  However, in this case the person had been laid off twice from large corporations where they were in the Training and Development area.  This is very disheartening to me.  Not only is this person knowledgeable,  but they are now “gun-shy” to go back into their chosen field a field where they can and were making a difference.

If you are like me, then you believe that education is important.  When I think of how our teachers are paid less than most middle managers and yet they are responsible for the education of the next generation.  And now, we are looking at cutting back on teachers in already crowded schools.

Now, let me liken this to corporations that are cutting their training budgets.   The first to area to face reductions whether it be budget or staff is the training and development areas of companies.   However, the remaining employees are still required and expected to do more with less.   Less includes the training they need to take on the new responsibilities that they have been given all with the spirit of  “be glad you still have a job”.

You wouldn’t expect your child to know how to the gardening if you always had a Gardener would you?  Then why do companies feel that they can have people manage projects, people or tasks if they are not properly trained?

Companies are asking a lot from their employees and I am all for sticking together to ride through rough times, but less be realistic, we all need the tools to do the job.  I wish companies would stop eliminating an essential component and find other ways to save corporate dollars.

I attended a panel discussion last night that was highly informative.  The panel was made up of four coaches from Generation X and Y.  They were addressing a room of mostly Baby Boomers, although that is pure speculation on my part.  I would never judge a person’s age :>).

The four panelist gave their views on how coaching can help to bridge the generational gap not only in the business world, but in life in general.  From their discussion I took away many tips, but the following 4 are worth mentioning here:

Listen– When we truly listen to another person we are far more likely to hear the true message and not interrupt for ourselves what they mean to say.

Teach – Each generation has knowledge to share.  The older generations may have the experience, but the younger generations have gifts and talents to offer as well.  Take technology as an example.  Who better to teach and train this area than the generation who grew up with it in their cribs.

Trust – Trust is important in any relationship.  We all want to trust the people we interact with whether that are in the workplace, our friends or colleagues.  If you state you are going to do something, then do it.  If something is said to you in confidence, keep it confidential.

Respect – Respect the differences in everyone.  Age is not the defining factor for receiving respect or giving it.  Respect opinions and listen for understanding.  We don’t have to agree, but we can certainly respect another person and listen to what they have to offer.

Although the largest population of workers are the Baby Boomers with the Generation Y or Millennial’s being the next largest, Generation X, sandwiched in between, is still a power to be reckoned with.    They may be small in population but they are by no means silent.  To demonstrate the power they have  recall the recent publicity to an older (Baby Boomer) Susan Boyle.  This Utube event was started by Generation X!

My advice… communicate, communicate, communicate.  You may just learn something about yourself and others.