Borrowing From Lincoln

One of my favorite insights from Abraham Lincoln pertains to human nature and power. Lincoln said one way to get a good measure of an individual is to give that person power and see what they do with it. Do they share it? Give it away? Use it to make the lives of people around them better? Do they use it to generate more power for themselves? Do they use it do harm to others? It is an interesting litmus test and one, in my own limited experiences, I have found much truth in. It is easy, of course, to apply these questions to public figures - past and present - but this "power test" can also be applied to those around us, including ourselves, who are not famous yet who wield influence on some level or levels.

A similar "test" can also be applied in the area of communication. Every day we all have opportunities to communicate with others. Even if it is just with one other person in writing or face-to-face, we have forums in which to speak and be heard. A question that helps define us as individuals when those communication opportunities arise revolves around what we do with them. Do we communicate in ways that mislead or spread the truth? Burn or build bridges? Reach out or turn away? Belittle or encourage? When communicating, the choices we make when we come to these mini-crossroads define us as individuals as much as the choices we make when it comes to utilizing power.

In my own life, I see friends and colleagues makes these choices every day. This includes me, too. None of us make the right or best choices all the time. I certainly don't. Perhaps one reason for this is because we do not fully appreciate that communication choices we make say as much about us as to our values and moral integrity as do the quality of the messages themselves. That, of course, amplifies the importance of communication beyond being a mere exchange of information or messages. A person other than Lincoln said "we are what we eat." I will take that a step further by observing how we communicate is also who we are.