When a friend was offered dessert at a restaurant, he said to the server, “No, thanks. We have cake at home.” When he told the story later he laughed at himself for including the cake information in his answer. Those of us listening laughed with him,...
People don’t have to have followers to be leaders, as weird as that sounds. But people who are leaders – those who exhibit the qualities and behaviors we associate with leadership – seem to attract attention. And followers. Who are these leaders to whom we’re attracted? ...
Language Lady runs into a Professional Acquaintance, and they have the following conversation: LL: Are you spending a lot of time getting ready for your conference? PA: I mean, so soon! I’m like really, you know, sort of like worried that….I mean, we have great people who...
Here’s how Hector started his last staff meeting: “I finished these prints last week and you guys never sent them out. Get this fixed. I should have done it myself.” Later that day Daisy, a member of Hector’s staff, spoke about the climate in their department. “Hector speaks...
In a recent interview, Sebastian Junger, author of “The Perfect Storm” and “Tribe”, describes the kind of writer he admires: “I look for someone who is…..hard-working in their prose. By that I mean they take the time to choose words that surprise me; they use metaphors...
In a recent email writing class, someone mentioned the problem of partially-answered emails, and wondered if he needs to send separate emails for each question he wants to ask. Here is the email he sent to Aspen: “The meeting has been scheduled for 10, and we’ll review...