Have you used the word recalibrate this week?

Have you used the word recalibrate this week? Out of nowhere it seemed to be everywhere. To date I have only used it in conjunction with adjusting the thermostat on our ovens. A friend with deep business acumen defined it as 'getting to yes'.

The term first came up in a conversation with a new joint venture partner in connection with the project we are pursuing. In response to concerns about how much time we would be devoting to the new account, he responded that the work team would recalibrate so that our time commitment would be capped.Sounded like magic to me.

Intriguing. I decided to investigate the concept of recalibration and see what else it could do.

Into the event world where all my theories are tested. Wednesday was a very busy night as I went from one event to another starting with Seeds of Peace at the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel. This menu was recalibrated so that the event would be more affordable. Skipping hors d'oeuvres during cocktails and other cost cutting tactics were used. Seeds of Peace's mission is "to help young people from regions of conflict develop the leadership skills necessary to advance reconciliation and coexistence." http://www.seedsofpeace.org/. Their goal, a recalibration of political and social status quo in the name of peace, is an important and worthwhile cause.

For our other events - an awards ceremony and another annual fundraiser - budgetary concerns were critical. Like everyone else, we are trying to make events more affordable for our customers as they struggle with reaching their fundraising goals. Our industry has recalibrated.

A completely different context for our word of the week was presented this morning in a casual discussion with friends about raising children and dealing with the subjects of sex, drugs and alcohol. We spoke about the norms from our experiences as teenagers and how to apply our actions to those we hoped to see in our kids. Coming of age in the 60's and 70's was not only a very different landscape (pre-AIDS and relatively benevolent drugs) but a completely different type of social interaction (pre-Facebook/internet). To the notion of holding our children to a different standard than we held ourselves, my dear friend stated that we need to recalibrate our beliefs before setting rules and expectations for them. There it was again. (Would this mean we recalibrate our personal histories?)Of all the words to use, why this one?

The dictionary defines recalibrate as "to correct a measuring process by checking or adjusting again in comparison with a standard". We are in times of economic recalibration. We have spent the past several months readjusting our expectations, re-budgeting our business goals, recalculating our net worth or retirement goals. It is appropriate that we find a new word to refresh our vocabulary - one that has a bit of Teflon to it so as not to seem so painful.

I was in my rowboat this morning on a beautiful Putnam County lake. As always, I began by thinking about work. As my thoughts progressed I made a leap from business problems & solutions to ideas for a great not-for-profit project. Eureka! I had recalibrated.

I fully expect to read a far more erudite explanation of our use of the word recalibrate by William Safire any week now. Just remember where you read it first.