The Moving Finger Writes ...

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”
―Omar Khayyám

Hearing Sheldon on Big Bang Theory quote Omar Khayyám recently, reminded me of when these fateful words described an interview Thomas A. Vanderslice did with Fortune magazine many years ago. At the time, he was a contender for the top slot at GE, ultimately won by Jack Welch. Mr. Vanderslice made some poorly chosen remarks during his interview that made it into the printed piece. He was promptly eliminated from the running for CEO. 

Today, we have slightly more leeway, with online publications at least, to correct typos, mis-quotes or inaccuracies about our company, products or services. Certainly with blogs, Facebook and Twitter, we have a lot of control and can delete an entire post, or simply fix the error. Still, with printed publications, especially the top newspapers and business publications, it is a lot more complex. If convinced, an editor may agree to print a correction in the next issue, often a month later, to solve the problem. But does it?

Even with online publications where editors are involved, some validation and convincing may be required before they take the time to correct. And often, it does take time even though it may be only a couple of their keystrokes.

Keep Mr. Khayyám’s words in mind and be prepared when giving an interview to news or trade publications. Proof your copy numerous times when writing and submitting your own bylined article. And especially, think twice before you Tweet. CEOs and other company representatives need to use those limited words wisely. Perhaps if you’re CEO of a well-established, successful company, like GE, gratuitous Tweets that don’t demonstrate much thought or depth, or do not appear within any useful context, may be forgiven. But if you’re a start-up seeking investors, or a struggling software company desperate for customers, none of your tears will wash away ill-advised words you’ve written. You risk coming across as appearing uninformed, unprofessional or foolish at best, or just plain lame at worst.

To paraphrase Omar and mix metaphors -- once it’s out there, even in cyberspace, it’s really hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. 

Oh, in case you’re wondering – Sheldon missed a once in a lifetime opportunity to have gelato with Spiderman co-creator, Stan Lee, for which he blamed Penny.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqt_etlLztQ

Can you say where you're going?

Forbes’ recent article by Eric Jackson, “Top Ten Reasons Why Large Companies Fail to Keep Their Best Talent” included (coming in at number 8) “The Missing Vision Thing.”  It asks: What strategy are you executing? What is the vision you want this talented person to fulfill? Did they have a say/input into this vision?

Obviously, this applies to every size organization, not just the biggies. An employee survey at a small software company revealed overall concern around vision with several comments, such as – “unaware of general strategic vision of the company; where do we hope to be in three years?”

The Built to Last authors (Jim Collins and Jerry Porras) probably had one of the best approaches to getting at a company’s vision, or core purpose. They called it the “Five Whys.” They suggest starting with a descriptive statement – we make X products; or we deliver X services. And then ask why that’s important five times. After answering these whys a few times you can usually get to the fundamental reason you’re in business.

When going through this exercise at companies where I’ve worked, I’ve often used the following as good examples of a company vision:

·         Disney – To bring happiness to millions

·         Apple – People should not be subservient to technology

·         Johnson & Johnson – To alleviate pain and disease

Another great example Collins and Porras use is for a company not as well-known or exciting which started this exercise with: We make gravel and asphalt products.  After a few whys, the conclusion was: To make people’s lives better by improving the quality of man-made structures.

People want to be inspired. They want their managers to lead them to a higher place where they feel like they’re part of a greater purpose. They’ll jump on the band wagon if the vision is clear and well-communicated. The best talent will stick around for that.    

Words Matter

It’s really quite simple. Every thought you have, every sentence you say or write is made up of words. In many cases, they are carefully chosen words that will make the impact you want; perhaps achieve a particular result. In other cases, they may be casual comments that evoke warm emotions, or hurt feelings.

Words can change lives. How you speak to your partner, what you say to your child, how you interact with your family can have a long-lasting effect – with good or bad results.

In business, words can make or break a company. Employees, customers, partners, investors, analysts and the media hang on a CEO’s words. They dissect every nuance to try and learn the truth. A company’s ability to communicate its value helps customers and investors decide whether they want to move forward or run away.

Words are power.  Use them wisely on your website, in brochures and presentations, on twitter and in blogs. Be clear, compelling, concise. You only have a short time to hold your audience’s attention. The truth is most people will only read the first one or two sentences. If you haven’t grabbed them there, then the rest just doesn’t matter. And since reading on the small screens of mobile devices can be another barrier, you better hit hard and fast with a captivating lead.

Remember, your company’s reputation and success are at stake.