Most would agree that Louis Pasteur, George Washington and Thomas Edison were “great men.” What makes a business leader, scientist, statesman, inventor, doctor, engineer, or creator deserving of the title of “Great Man” or “Great Woman”? Is it intelligence? There are many with high IQs who waste their genius. Is it character? There are many who have integrity and live virtuous lives but never earn the title of “Great.” Is it wealth? The list of wealthy people who are deemed the opposite of “Great” is very long indeed. Is it fame and applause? Many are famous and yet few are deemed “Great”. So what is the true measure of greatness? Arguably, the true measure of greatness is achievement.

Here’s why. Continue reading →

Every day, we’re all communicating in a mad rush. We write dozens (if not hundreds) of texts, emails, instant messages, posts, Inmail, and more every day. And, too many of these messages have mistakes. Typos. Punctuation. Grammar. Syntax. But, the worst is spelling. Words are misspelled or misused. We write affect when it should be effect. We write were when it should be we’re. We write peak when we mean peek. When we write words incorrectly, at best it says “careless”; at worst, it says “uneducated.” The good news is that it’s easy to review the most common mistakes and learn the right spelling. It’s never too late.

Here’s Your Cheat Sheet. Continue reading →

In business, we write A LOT. We write to deliver a message, but how we write delivers its own message. When we can’t understand a message from a manager, colleague or vendor because it’s long, unclear or is poorly written, it might fail to say what was intended… but it may say a lot about the person. A picture might speak 1,000 words, but, in business, just 100 poorly-written words paints an unattractive picture of who the person is. In business, clear communication matters. Writing doesn’t need to be eloquent, but it should be clear and error-free. And, at the very least, it should avoid the most common mistakes. Do you make any of these common errors?

Read more. Continue reading →