“Sir, I have an Out Of Bounds Request” from one of our students. His grandmother is having emergency surgery this Saturday and his family has requested he be present. His instructor, the course supervisor, and I have all discussed this matter with him and he understands that he must be back and in the barracks by the Monday morning muster. He has attached his airline’s tickets to show he has round trip transportation for this emergency. All we need is your signature.” And with that, the Command First Sergeant handed me the paperwork.
I took a quick look at the request and the tickets. With a smile, I looked at the First Sergeant, “I want PFC Smith (not his real name), the instructor, the course supervisor, and you in my office at 1300 today to discuss this.”
“Is there a problem, Sir?” the First Sergeant asked with an uneasiness that indicated he knew I had caught something. I reinforced that we meet at 1300 and stood up to go to lunch.
When writing a report, preparing an important presentation, or gathering information for a discussion at a meeting, ensuring you look closely at your work is critical. Your professional reputation is on the line each time you put your name on any work product. So, let me share some things that you can do that may ensure you shine each time.
Spell check is good. Grammarly.com is better. You have these wonderful free tools in your toolbox so use them. Nothing will distract from your intent more than poor spelling or grammar.
Have a trusted co-worker read over your report or presentation. Encourage them to look for mistakes in spelling, grammar, and those wonderful homonyms that mess us up every time i.e. there and their, be and bee, etc.). Listen to them if they point out something is not clearly stated or might be confusing. Remember, you are trying to persuade with your words so ensuring your words are conveying the clear message is important.
Once you have perfected your work product, give it to someone who may know nothing about the subject at hand and ask them to read it. Then, have the person tell you in one short sentence the main purpose of the report or presentation. If they are able to articulate your desired purpose, you know that the person receiving the information will comprehend and understand your intent.
If you are gathering facts for a meeting, report, or presentation, ensure you check and double check that you facts are accurate. In this day where anyone can post to the world wide web, there is a lot of disinformation floating around. So, look for multiple sources that confirm your data.
If you are doing a presentation, practice so that you know your material and could present just from the slides if you lost your notes. This will truly make your presentation credible.
Finally, set the material aside for a day and then reread it yourself. Ask yourself this important question. If I were receiving this, would I be impressed with the professionalism of this work product? If the answer is yes, you are ready to present the material.
So, let me finish my opening story. I received the Out Of Bounds Request on the Thursday before the student was to leave. So, my first question to myself was why, if this is emergency surgery, are they waiting until Saturday? What doctor wants to schedule a Saturday emergency surgery? That made me look closer at the tickets. Now the fun was about to begin.
When all the Marines were gathered in my office, I began my presentation. “PFC Smith, you may not know this but I started my career as an enlisted Marine and attended this very school where today, I am you Commanding Officer. While attending the school as a Private, I filled out an Out Of Bounds Request and clearly stated that my intent was to see my girlfriend. My instructors were so surprised that I was dumb enough to list my girlfriend as the reason for wanting to go home that they forwarded the request recommending approval just because they wanted me to learn a valuable lesson. I did. The Commanding Officer approved the request because, and I quote, ‘for the first time, one of the students was honest.’ So, son, let me ask you one question and I really want you to be honest with me. Your request is not for an emergency operation for you grandmother. You just want to see your girlfriend, right?”
PFC Smith swallowed hard and very softly said, “Yes, Sir.”
I picked up my pen, signed the request, and said, “Then, you shall see your girlfriend. Now, if you will return to your classroom, I would like to talk to these gentlemen for a minute. You are dismissed.”
As soon as Smith left, the First Sergeant spoke, “How did you know, Sir?”
“Did any of you bother to even look at the airline tickets? If you had, you would have seen that they were purchased a month ago. So, unless Smith is clairvoyant and saw his grandmother was going to need emergency surgery this Saturday, he had to be telling a story. And come on, emergency surgery that can be postponed until the weekend? That alone should have set bells off in you head! Attention to detail, gentleman, would have enabled each of you to figure this out long before you let it get to me. I expect you to also learn from this and never let it happen again. Dismissed.”
If you are going to be an exceptional leader, then ensure your work product demonstrates your professionalism and attention to detail in a manner that sets an example for your team to emulate.
It truly is the little things that can mean a lot. I had an employee that told me her grandmother died five times in one year. I was amazed. Love your story Len it is very eye opening. I like that you do storytelling. I grew up on a farm and storytelling was about the only entertainment we had. It was also how we learned. Thank you for sharing
Larry – I have always learned more from a “story” with a moral or lession, too. So, when I started writing for Dennis, I realized it was through storytelling that I could make an impact. Thank you for your kind encouragement.
You are very welcome.
Larry – 🙂
The lesson learned in this article is such an important one. Honest is the best choice. And it is not what you say but how you say and present it. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Len. I love wisdom presented in stories.
Thanks, Kathleen. I have found that lessons learned from stories are easier to comprehend and stay with us a lot longer. So, that has always been my teaching method.
It is a great method! And you do it well.
Kat – Thank you for your kind words that provide encouragement to those who wrote for BC360.
I always found that when something has to be done, and it has to be done now there is always something else going on. When a salesman does this, they want you to stop thinking and buy. When business associate does this, they want you to stop thinking and commit.
When given time, we all are rational. And to some, being rational is just not a good thing.
Chris – Good point. But, as I have said more than once to someone who stated that they needed something right now, “You lack of planning is not my emergency”. And that is usually the case. Thanks for your comment.
I love the direct approach. But I can’t get away with this because the sort of people I work with can be very Machiavellian. Instead I say “Oh really? How long have you been sitting on this?”. The usual reply is a few weeks. Then I go “Okay. I’m assuming you don’t want to wait a few weeks for me to do this. You dropped this in my lap without giving me any warning. You know what I’m like, right? I’m a guy that dots the eyes and crosses the tees. You’re not going to get this in the time frame you want. Let’s set up a meeting and drag in a few of the other guys to hammer this out.”
Chris – Great to know that I am not the only one who had to deal with the “wait ’til the last minute” department heads. Thanks for continuing the dialog by adding your insights.
Once again, a valuable lofe-lesson from someone well-versed in disciplined management with a keen eye for detail! Thanks a lot, Len Sir!
As an aside, with all due respect Len Sir, a small query out of mutual respect and friendship: It seems grammarly failed to deliver the goods on this article as I see some typos left unchecked.
Bharat – thank you for your comment and I will look into the typos in this article to see if I can figure out what happened.
Bharat – I think you’re wonderful! And you have a typo in your response as well. LOL – It just shows how hard it is to catch the details in our fast-paced world.
Len – super story, not just for paying attention to the details but also for helping each other see what we miss – as we are all inescapably human.
Carol – You are so right – we are all inescapably human. And I would rather have the friendship and kindness of people like Bharat and you then to be so obsessed with perfection that I miss the wonder of every individual. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for your kind gesture of paramount friendship, Len Sir! Thanks to this faith I dared mention what I did.
By the way, no matter what software you use to find and eliminate errors, nthing beats a personal revision. I have tried many a different versions, including Grammarly, and still end up with so many typos in my write-ups, so graciously corrected by Dennis Sir.
Warm Regards
BM
Bharat – A true friend will tell you when you have made an error, big or small, not out of a desire to hurt or uplift themselves, but because they see your true potential and want you to achieve your very best. You, Bharat, are someone I consider a true friend. 🙂
I would enjoy the story even with a typo. I dropped out of school at 16. I always struggle with spelling. Even with spell check. I learned to be thick skinned.
Larry – I have never been a good speller and I was thrilled when spell check came along. But, sometimes, the content can be so good that a minor error is forgiven. Thanks for your comment and insight.
I was just waiting for someone to point it out, ever since I posted the above response. I ended up posting it without a second glance. Thanks for bringing it up, Ms Carol!
I do have a quote from Napoleon Bonaparte that fits the above equation so well:
“A man occupied with public or other important buysiness cannot, and need not, attend to spelling.”
Bharat – Now that is a comment I wish I had known before I retired. That could have saved the day many of times. Thank for your comment and your honest Friendship.
I love it!
Your valuable contribution makes this discussion much more valuable, Ms Carol!
Thanks & Warm Regards
BM
I concur with Bharat – it is nice to have you joining in on our discussion, Carol.
Great quote. Thank you my friend.
Larry – Bharat has some of the best quotes. He always inspires.
I am truly indebted to you, Len Sir! You are the true inspiration, above all else.
Thank you, Bharat. I am always humbled by your wonderful comments.
Things you learn as you get wiser, right?
Bharat – So very true. 🙂
Absolutely!!!
Larry – 🙂