Trying to sell a new idea or program to senior leadership? Or showcase your organization’s features to win a corporate award or land a grant? We’ve all been told that “making the business case” comes down to having good data. But while data is critical, it’s not everything. Just now I’m reading The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis. […]
Writing
6 Tips for Conquering Word Limits
Anyone who’s ever struggled to complete an application—whether for school or an award or recognition of any kind—has come up against word or character limits. Twitter aside, trying to put together the best possible answer to an open-ended question within a strictly limited space can be hugely frustrating. But it’s far from impossible. My own […]
When They Wins, We All Win
A few weeks ago, the American Dialect Society announced the 2015 Word of the Year: the singular “they.” (Lest anyone doubt the authority of the American Dialect Society, let me point out that its “word-of-the-year” event is “the word-of-the-year event up to which all others lead,” according to the—wait for it—website of the American Dialect […]
The Secret to Organizational Excellence
Last week, the Alliance for Workplace Excellence held its 15th annual Workplace Excellence Awards celebration and lunch. I was delighted to be asked to be asked to contribute an article to the program for the day, and thought I’d share what I wrote with my blog readers, as well: Want to create an excellent workplace? Take a […]
Working Mother Essay: Winning the Word Count War (Reprise)
Around about now, some of my readers are just starting to panic about getting their application for the Working Mother or NAFE “Best Companies” lists in on time. They’re hunched over the essay, despairing of ever cramming everything they want to say into 2,500 words. If you recognize yourself in this scenario, don’t despair. I’ve pulled out […]
Punctuation (and Other) Pitfalls, Part 2
A couple weeks ago I blogged about common punctuation pitfalls. Since I knew I hadn’t finished the list, I promised a “Part 2.” The only problem is, when I sat down to write it, I realized that a number of common questions and errors that popped into my head were not, strictly speaking, about punctuation. […]