The Cost of a Typo

I'm sitting across the table from one of my strongest performers. He's a talented software developer who can write code like few people I know. But there is a problem.

The kid can't spell to save his life.

Whether it was a one paragraph e-mail or a voluminous requirements document, you could count on typos if it had his name as the author.

I talked to this otherwise strong performer about his spelling problem. He discounted it at first as an issue that is no longer relevant, particularly in the age of e-mail and instant messaging.

I'm not insensitive to the argument. A friend who is a high school English teacher recently told me she is getting papers submitted where the word "you" is spelled "u."

But I don't buy the excuse. What comes to mind when you sea a typo?

Certainly plenty of people may not even notice a single typo (did you catch the one I purposely put in this posting?).

Yet others will see it as a sign of laziness. In some cases the writer may be perceived to be less intelligent. It can even come off as disrespect and cost you money (not to mention getting your name published in the New York Times)!

Here are my recommendations on how to mitigate the risk of typos:

• Take a couple extra minutes to review your communication before sending or publishing it. Your spell checker won't catch everything, but it can get the easy ones.
• Beyond spelling, ask "How can this be misunderstood?" A simple re-wording of a sentence might make the difference between someone understanding your message or generating additional questions.
• Get a copy of Patricia O'Conner's book Woe Is I. It is a handy reference to keep near your desk when you're trying to remember if the word is "affect" or "effect." Plus it's just a really entertaining book to thumb through when you have a couple minutes to burn.
• Consider having someone else review your communication. On a practical basis this might be reserved for those situations where the stakes are higher. Multiple people sift through every word of my manuscripts before my books are published, and even then I have found a stray problem or two.

When you're looking for extra eyes on your communication, consider turning to my colleague Leila Kalmbach of Eye for Ink Editorial Services. From copyediting to proofreading, Leila specializes in making us all look brilliant. Contact Leila to subscribe to her Typo of the Month newsletter!

Labels: communication, recommended sites

posted by Andy at 4:57 PM  

What Do You Give the Person Who Has Everything?

We're entering that time of year when many of us rack our brains on what to give to people who have more than they need.

Truthfully. Do any of us really need more?

I can think of all kinds of things I'd like to get as presents this year, but need is a powerful word. Understanding need requires perspective, and perspective is easy to miss in a world that fills us with "You Need More Stuff!" 24 x 7.

Here's some perspective that smacked me up side the head this year:

• Nearly 30,000 children die every day, most from hunger or preventable diseases.
• More than 1 billion children suffer a lack of proper nutrition, safe drinking water, decent sanitation facilities, health-care services, shelter, education and information.

Nothing against global warming, friends, but there are countless people who aren't remotely worried about polar bears and ice caps a century from now. They're trying to figure out how to eat today.

We talked about this recently as a family and came to the conclusion we're not doing enough to help. Our kids came up with the idea to use their love of soccer as a platform to make a difference. Their idea: Kicking World Hunger! We're talking about the biggest soccer juggle-a-thon in the world (that we know of)! Think "walk-a-thon" but only more fun and with a soccer ball!

Here's how it works.

• Make a difference by raising money. Do you or your kids love soccer? Why not set a goal to juggle, say, a couple thousand times and raise money to help kick world hunger? Check out the website for more details on how to turn your love for soccer into help for those who are truly in need!
• Make a difference by giving. Instead of buying someone something they don't need, make a donation to Kicking World Hunger! How about 5 ducks to a family for $30? Two chickens for $25? Tell someone that you gave a goat in their name for $75 and see how they react! Go to Kicking World Hunger to make your donation today.

As a "thank you" for everyone who makes a donation on the Kicking World Hunger site, I'll send you a free electronic version of two of my books:

• How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter
• Shining the Light on The Secret

Give a gift and make a difference in this world. Sounds like something we need to do!

Labels: culture, make a difference, recommended sites

posted by Andy at 9:28 PM  

Leadership Lessons from Howard Tullman

Crain's Chicago Business recently posted a short video from Howard Tullman that I recommend you take the time to watch. I appreciate the clarity in which he communicates the essence of what it means to lead. Though his lessons are tuned for entrepreneurs, they can easily apply to anyone who leads, whether a team, a department, or an entire company.

Key lessons to highlight include:

• Mistakes are inevitable. Admit, fix, and forget them. One of the great frustrations as an executive coach is to work with someone that tries to be so perfect that they won't make a mistake. Clearly that's impossible. We regularly work with our kids on this: when you make a mistake, admit it. Fix it. Then get past it. Learn from them, for sure, but you can't obsess over them or you will not lead.
• It's about winning, not being right. In our e-learning workshop "Beyond the Rock and the Hard Place: How to Deal with Conflict More Effectively", we talk about the difference between positions and interests. Too often people get wrapped up into their positions, having to be "right." I like how Tullman states "It's about winning, not being right."
• Tell a simple story: who are we, where are we going, and why. I find many aspiring leaders who are "how" people: they want to cut to the To-Do's and tasks right away, without first figuring out the "what". In our customized leadership workshops we coach leaders to first answer "Where?", "Why?" and "What?". Once leaders answer those questions, then you can get to the "How?", "Who?" and "When?". Click here for more information about how our customized leadership workshops can help your organization develop leaders.
• Keep raising the bar. Keep getting better. Celebrate successes but don't get complacent.
• Don't wait until it's perfect. Start with what you have.
• Look for people who want to build a career, not just a job. Presenteeism (employees who are at the worksite regularly, but for a variety of reasons, are not producing as they should) reportedly accounts for 80% of lost productivity. One of my biggest staffing fears is not those who leave, but those who have left but are still with us.
• Surround yourself with people who are different from you. It took me too many years to figure this one out. Now I cherish the principle, which helps me from driving over a cliff in business.
• Having to fire people comes with the job. It can be done respectfully, but if your desire is to be popular, it will get in your way.
• Part of a leader's job is to be an absorber of uncertainty and anxiety. Things can be ambiguous, but as a leader, we must continue telling the story, keeping people focused on the vision and direction. If we are freaking out when things get tough, it will simply spread the anxiety and be a distraction. In my book Navigating the Winds of Change: Staying on Course in Business & in Life I talk about the concept of keeping your eyes on the horizon when the wind and waves are raging. It's not only good advice for sailors: it works for leaders as well.

I commend Mr. Tullman's video for your viewing pleasure and personal development.

Labels: anxiety, Beyond the Rock and the Hard Place, conflict, crisis, executives, leadership, managing change, mistakes, recommended sites, strategy, teams, uncertainty

posted by Andy at 2:34 PM  

A Site to Recommend

I'm regularly buying books for research and self-development purposes, often defaulting to Amazon.com as my site of choice. Since I'm constitutionally cheap, I will typically buy a used book if there's a reasonable savings and the book is rated in good shape. I've yet to be burned by that approach.

If you buy in that same vein, I wanted to give you a heads-up about a site I've started using much more in recent months: Alibris. I've saved, on average, 30%-50% on used books from there compared to Amazon's used prices.

Quality has been as advertised, timeliness good, and the buying process a breeze. If you haven't tried them out yet, please do so the next time you're in the market.

Happy reading!

Labels: recommended sites

posted by Andy at 8:53 AM