Reading between the lines

Ad from today's WSJ


                                                                                     

Sometimes the ads in a newspaper prove more interesting and engaging than the actual news… This morning, I was struck by the overarching message in this ad. While the ad is for an open source software company, the message captures an essential quality of productive collaboration and PLNs. Intrigued by the ideas of connection and universal access, I felt compelled to investigate further and pursue more info on their website... https://www.redhat.com/en/about/company

While the tech jargon digitally danced right over my head, the descriptive language kept me captivated. For example, the company website uses language like: “enterprises work across platforms.”  How interesting.... I wonder, what constitutes an enterprise?  What distinguishes enterprises from projects or organizations? Ultimately, whatever is encapsulated inside their working definition of “enterprises” doesn’t really matter, it is the “work across platforms” portion of the statement that most intrigues me.  Working across platforms is not an isolated tech concept. In fact, it also represents the essential qualities of collaboration and PLNs. Another statement extracted from Red Hat’s homepage includes, “building flexible infrastructure solutions”. In expanding this statement beyond this company and the industry of technology, the concept gains power and purpose. I don’t know about you, but as I further develop my OLP and HRD competencies, I want to include the development of flexible infrastructure solutions, an ability to work across platforms, and maintain a focus of active participation in open source solutions.

Sometimes, reading between the lines reveals the messages that connect meaning, answer questions, and reinforce professional passions.