Month: June 2012

Aside

Spelling Counts, Especially with Names

I started patronizing a different Starbucks. They always ask my name to put it on my cup. I get a lot of variations on the correct spelling. One day I simply told them how to spell it. Okay, it’s a cup of coffee, and all that matters is that I get my coffee, but still, it’s my name.

I chuckled when I saw this spelling of my name.

As someone who grew up reading and writing for newspapers, I always was told that spelling counts. As a result, I can’t stand a misspelled name. On a recent trip, I landed at a foreign airport and there was a sign with the most unique spelling of my name. Again, all that mattered was that someone was there to pick me up and take me to my hotel.

In writing, spelling counts. I used to teach news writing, and if a student spelled a person’s name incorrectly, I gave the student a zero on the assignment. Very few ever made the mistake again. My journalism teacher did the same in my class (fortunately, that was one error I did not make).

Apparently spelling names correctly is not easy for anyone. If you doubt this, check the corrections page of your newspaper. You will probably find a correction for a misspelled name at least once a week. The Poynter Institute last month reported that the Los Angeles Times ran a correction after misspelling Elliott Gould’s name in a caption. That was the 47th time since 1985 that the Times has referred to the actor as “Elliot” instead of “Elliott.”

What can you do to prevent misspelling a name? Here are a few tips:

Ask the person you are interviewing to spell their first and last name and provide you with their title. Even if you think the name is a common name, ask for the spelling. I recently worked with an “Alison” and an “Allison.” The second “l” made all the difference when assigning tasks.

Check the person’s name on the company email directory if you are working on an internal story. Of course, you are relying on the organization to have spelled all the names correctly.

Ask for the business card. Whenever possible, I get business cards because I have the person’s name and title in black and white. Plus, I have a phone number and email address if needed.

Ask the person to write the name down in your notebook. When I travel overseas on assignment, the names are quite tricky for me so I always hand over my tablet and pen and ask the person to write it. Then I write it in my handwriting and verify it with the person. I’ve learned that letters don’t always align when I get back home.

Taking the time to spell a person’s name correctly is a foundation of good writing. It’s worth the extra time.

Keeping the Vacation Alive

Chocolate covered strawberries

My vacation featured a cooking demonstration. This photo helps return me to the relaxing meal we had following the lesson. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

I just returned from an incredible vacation, one in which I took no electronic devices. I watched no TV and read no newspapers. It was a stress-free week.

I knew, though, upon my return that the stress could quickly mount at the office so I took some precautions. Perhaps the suggestions will help you when you return from a vacation.

Leave your first morning free to address urgent emails and messages. Don’t worry about any of the others. Don’t schedule any meetings. I actually blocked the time on my calendar so no one could snag it.

Block time each day for the first week to catch up on the emails. To save time, sort your emails by conversations. By reading the latest, you can eliminate all of the individual ones in the thread.

Set a limit to your day. You can work long hours but you’ll lose that vacation feel way too quickly. I limited myself and a colleague even offered to call me to make sure I was walking out the door.

Schedule something fun or relaxing for your first weekend back to extend that vacation feeling.

Schedule your next vacation or break if you haven’t already done so. I block time each quarter on my calendar. That way I always have something to look forward to, even if it’s simply curling up at home with a book.

If all else fails, look at your vacation photos each evening or change your desktop image to one from your vacation spot.

Leadership Lessons from the Road

When I travel, I tend to catch up on my reading. I’ve been traveling a lot lately and have read dozens of articles about leadership. Several ideas have appeared as themes throughout the readings. I thought I would share them with you so you don’t have to read all of the articles. I hope you find them useful.

Yellow balloons

Relationships, creativity and collaboration are key elements of effective leadership. (Photo illustration by Cynthia Price)

Negativity will wipe out creativity. Too often I’ve been to brainstorming sessions where participants begin to shoot down ideas. The key is to put all the ideas out first. Eventually, you will have to winnow the list. But don’t do it too soon, because sometimes, others will build from an existing idea. And if someone already has poked holes into it, the other person may scratch their idea before sharing it.

Employees are people. Sometimes we forget that the individuals with whom we work or lead are people. We often think of them as employees or workers. When I taught media relations to law enforcement officers, it’s a lesson I repeated about reporters. I reminded the officers, who often did not think highly of the media, that reporters are human beings with families and fears and dreams. And by putting it in those terms, the officers often chose to cut the reporters some slack. By the way, I did the same with reporters.

Relationships matter. When I first joined the organization for which I currently work, I didn’t spend much time getting to know people because I was already buried in work. But then I realized, that if my team was going to succeed, I needed to know more about the people I worked with and they needed to more about me. I spend a few minutes throughout each day talking with team members. Sometimes the conversations are personal, sometimes they’re about work, but they’re always about the relationship we have.

Aim for collaboration. When you are launching a new product or designing a publication, it’s good to ask for feedback and to collaborate with others. What won’t work, though, is aiming for consensus. When I start any project, I explain that I hope the process will be collaborative. I encourage feedback – positive and negative. At the end of the day, though, a decision will be made and it may not please everyone. But everyone will at least have had an opportunity to have been heard.

Take a stand. One of my CEOs once told his top commanders that he didn’t care if they made the wrong decision, but he wanted them to make a decision. That really resonated with me because too often I’ve been in meetings where no one takes a position. Everyone is posturing, hoping they will align with the boss. Or they’re afraid to speak their mind. But it’s important to share what you think and to be clear about it.