finishing

Finishing is what you have to do, he thought.  If you don’t finish, nothing is worth a damn.

Ernest Hemingway

Green Hills of Africa. Simon and Schuster. 1935.

grammar is my litmus test

I hire people who care about those details. Applicants who don't think writing is important are likely to think lots of other (important) things also aren't important. And I guarantee that even if other companies aren't issuing grammar tests, they pay attention to sloppy mistakes on résumés. After all, sloppy is as sloppy does.

That's why I grammar test people who walk in the door looking for a job. Grammar is my litmus test. All applicants say they're detail-oriented; I just make my employees prove it.

Kyle Wiens

"I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why." Harvard Business Review (HBR Blog Network). 7/20/2012

give deserved praise

We ought to give deserved praise, even if it is not reciprocated. Remember the story of General Robert E. Lee? He was asked for and gave his high opinion of a certain man. Someone apparently observed that that was not how that person felt about General Lee. General Lee reportedly replied, "But you asked me for my opinion of him." Commending communications ought to flow from us without too much concern with "the balance of trade."


Neal A. Maxwell

All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience. Deseret Book, 1979.

remember our conflicts

When we remember our conflicts and reflect on them, they are like mirrors that can teach us things about ourselves that are otherwise difficult to discover. If we permit them, our conflicts will show us where we are weak, defensive, prideful, or otherwise in need of repair.


Gerald R. Williams

"Learning from Our Conflicts" BYU Speeches. 7/27/2006

convey the leader’s intent

General George G. Meade and Staff

Union Army General George Meade would sit down with his war council sometimes three or four times per day during the battle. This continual “confirmation of understanding” allowed Meade to better to communicate with his commanders and soldiers the tactics and strategies needed to survive the Confederate push.

This notion of the leader’s intent is an important one for all of us. The concept is simple: everyone in the chain of command must know clearly and concisely the mission’s objectives two levels above them and be able to communicate this information two levels below them. This understanding enables anyone in the army to make decisions “in the moment” that are consistent with the overall strategic objective set by the general.

A key part of this concept is to have a “briefback,” or “confirmation of understanding.” Having everyone on the team articulate in his or her own words an accurate understanding of the leader’s intent so that you, the leader, can be confident they understand it and will make the right decisions.

Paul Merrild

"Reflections on Leadership from Gettysburg" Harvard Business Review. 10/12/2015