Far North Friday #77: For Your Consideration

Words can be funny. No, I don’t mean the toe-may-toe vs. toe-mah-toe debate. I mean our use of words that can have different meanings.

Take the word “partnership”. Some time ago, I discussed establishing a partnership with a colleague. After several discussions, it became clear that we were talking about different things. The colleague was thinking about the legal and business implications of a partnership. I was thinking about governance principles like shared decision-making, shared risk, and shared reward. We each had a different understanding of what the word partnership meant, and therefore, what we were talking about. We were not alone. Governments also have a different understanding of the word “partnership”.

It is likely that different cultures have yet another understanding of words that are common to us. The word “land” can have many different meanings depending on your culture and perspective. To some, land has a spiritual meaning. To others, land means wealth or power.

While working in the far north of Ontario, I learned quickly - well, over 2-3 years - to focus on understanding the intent and less on the words used.

“For your consideration” is another example. Some define “consideration” as  the act of considering; careful thought; meditation; or deliberation, especially in regards to making a decision. That was the meaning I grew up with - something to think about, but by no means was it a command to follow a specified course of action. I soon learned that in some far north circles, “for your consideration” meant “you really should do this” and in others it meant “you must do this”, but expressed politely. It was a code expression, so-to-speak.

Did it really matter? Well, is there a difference between “here is something that may influence or inform your decision, but the decision is yours” and “it is inappropriate for me to tell you what to do, but it will be very bad if you don’t do this”?

After finding myself in several situations where I should have followed the “do this or it will be very bad”, I began to realize that the “for your consideration” phrase was a signal to probe to discover the intent. Fortunately, most of those situations were with friends and we could laugh, or speak bluntly about my failure to understand what was clearly a well known code.

 This Far North Friday note may seem a little odd as it is about words. No bears. No planes. No bad weather. No stars. But, I assure you, learning that we use the same words, but mean something quite different, was just as important a lesson as learning where to sit in a fixed wing aircraft, depending on which fear I wanted to suppress. It was a practical lesson too. I often remark today “I hear the words that person says, but I am quite certain that they mean and intend something quite different.”

 So, something for your consideration. When working with others, especially where different cultures interact, ensuring a shared understanding of what the desired outcome looks like, or what the promised land looks like, is really important.

March 3/22