Work Hard, Play Hard
In addition to hiring smart people, responding to our customers, making things happen, being profitable, and sharing information, one of DMC’s core values is to have fun. As an employee at DMC, it is common to work hard and be willing to bend over backward to go above and beyond our customer’s expectations. With as much work we put into keeping our customers satisfied, DMC does a great job of taking care of their employees.
One way that DMC takes care of its employees is by providing an activity fund budget, allowing employees to participate in monthly activities outside of the office. These activities are always a great time, and they allow DMC employees to develop relationships beyond those built in the work environment. Last month, DMC St. Louis decided to spend its activity fund by heading over to the Tapawingo Golf Course.
After nine holes of adequate amateur play and a whole lot of fun, we packed our clubs into our cars and headed our separate ways. Amidst the drive back home, I got to thinking… if I am a smart person that delivers expert solutions, am I offering services that are above par or below par?
To me, this was slightly mind-boggling because “above par” is usually used to indicate that something is above average, which is generally a positive thing. However, in golf, hitting “above par” typically has a negative connotation because that means you are taking more strokes to get to the hole than normal.
So… does the phrase “above par” mean you are doing a good job or a bad job?
Let’s Clear This Up
As always, I got a little carried away, and this is what I was able to learn. The word “par” is derived from Latin with the meaning: equal or equality and dates back to the 16th century. “Par” was first commonly used in the English language in the 18th century, when it was short for the phrase “par of exchange,” currently known as the “rate of exchange,” which is the ratio of value between one country’s currency and another’s.
While the phrase “par of exchange” was standard, the phrases “below par” and “above par” were coined to qualify the value of a country’s currency. Additionally, “par,” “below par,” and “above par” were used in finances to describe the value of a bond around the same time frame. Shortly after that, “above par” and “below par” took on the more familiar meaning of “above average” and “below average.”
It wasn’t until the 19th century did the term “par” even enter the realm of golf, and thus has nothing to do with the derivation of “above par” and “below par” as phrases of the English language.
Say it Right, Say it with Confidence
As it turns out, even if you are on the golf course, a smart person with expert solutions is providing services that are above par!
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