The Oxford or serial comma is the comma that separates the conjunction (such as or, and) from the last item on a list. Furious controversies have erupted over this small punctuation mark. Millions of worthy people maintain that the Oxford comma is a necessity in every list. Millions of other worthy people claim that it […]
The Oxford Comma Turns Out to Be Worth Real Money Read More »
A contractor for a major space mission was preparing to present to a NASA panel for a design review. Their presentation was very complicated, with a lot of technical information on each slide. The consultant they were working with warned them that the presentation would probably irritate the panel.
The $30 Million Revision Read More »
When a person is having a heart attack, her left arm may hurt. The illness is in her heart, but another part of her body is sending pain signals. When pain is felt in a part of the body other than its actual source, doctors call it “referred pain”. Referred pain occurs because of subtle nerve connections between the actual source of the pain and location where it is experienced. In other words, the locations seem unrelated, but they are connected.Communication is the Heart Communication is at the heart of every organization. Do people understand each other? Do they know what is expected of them? Do they feel good about the people they work with? To a great extent, the answers to these questions depend on how successfully managers and staff communicate with each other.
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Do you take time away from valuable business development and strategy because you are busy correcting the writing of people who should know better? Do you spend time at home and on weekends red-lining the reports and proposals written by your subordinates? If so, you’re not alone.
Spending Too Much Time Editing Your Staff’s Work? Read More »
Andrew, a prominent attorney, recently shared his frustration with one of his partners. “He keeps forwarding emails to me with no note at the top about what I’m supposed to be looking at,” he complained. “I don’t have time to read the whole chain of emails!” Andrew gave his partner feedback. “I told him that if he wants me to read the forwarded email, he has to add a note telling me why he forwarded it.” His request was ignored. The partner continued to shoot forwarded messages to Andrew with no note, and he paid a high price: “Now when I get a forwarded email from him, I just delete it without reading it,” Andrew reported.
Three Steps to Forwarding Email Responsibly Read More »
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