A Classic Tug Of War That Many Business Owners Grapple With

Recently, a colleague sent me the message below, apparently testing my "intelligence". "Only 55 people out of 100 can read it," she said, clearly quoting a statistic she had heard. While it is not a true test of intelligence, it intrigued me enough to try.

Can you read it?

7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15.

Both of us, it turns out, are in the 55 group that is able to read this, though I will admit she was able to read it faster than I. A discussion ensued: What is more important? Content? Or accuracy?

Ironically, that same day, I ran across an article posted on New Knowledge Website by Alvin Lee that was about leaders with high IQs. Bill Gates, for instance, apparently has an IQ of 150. The article broke thinkers into two groups: Red and Blue.

I know, I know. It sounds like the Red State/Blue State division between Republicans and Democrats, and we're all pretty sick of politics right now, but this Red and Blue has more to do with a different state: A state of mind.

Lee defined the difference between the two as follows:

* "…there are two kinds of "smartness". One, I call being in the red zone - that means you are more aggressive, you are always looking for what is the next opportunity, and you are looking at the big picture, the big vision, and you want to stay on that visionary perspective but you do not pay sufficient attention to how that vision gets executed. Whether it is cost issues, quality issues, delivery issues, you feel it is not your job."

* "The second kind of "smartness" - being in the blue zone - is about being cautious and careful, paying attention to operational excellence, paying attention to the supply chain, paying attention to the execution of the problem. Making sure it gets done impeccably; it gets done on time, under budget to the highest customer satisfaction. This is obviously a gift that many [organizations] would love to have."

My colleague is in the RED zone. I am in the BLUE. We process very differently, but when our conversation turnes to accuracy vs. content, our views about language is pretty much the same.

"People don't seem to care anymore whether they spell correctly, use 'I' or 'me' at the right times, or whether they write weather instead of whether. Just say the words "proper English" and watch faces sour," my colleague groaned. "When I brought this topic up at a networking gathering, the guy next to me straightened up in his chair, fixed the fake tie around his thick neck and asked, 'So, if I may interject, how might I properly tell you to shove this way of talking up your assets?'"

She paused, and then looked at me. "I was impressed he knew the word 'interject'," she added dryly.

That led the discussion to our educational system. "Some colleges," she confided, "are so wrapped up in their own retention issues that they'd rather have professors turn a nearly blind eye toward poor spelling and grammar and focus more closely on the 'intended message' the person was trying to convey."

"A student in a class I was teaching actually felt how he wrote, even if the writing was riddled with errors, was his right to freedom of speech," my colleague mused. So, how does all this affect Business Owners?

"I review resumes and cover letters that are pocked with errors," Adam Castleman, owner of "js", a fresh vegetable and fruit juice bar. "Fortunately for them, I need employees to make smoothies and juices and writing is not a key part of the position, but I do want people working for me who can think fast on their feet and who have strong communication and problem-solving skills."

"Proper English," a student worker at a local university shared, "isn't what my department is about." He works in graphic design. "Our job is more about manipulating language and images for impact."

And it's true. Social media has totally changed our acceptance of fragments, clever spelling of words, and the use of bullets to replace long paragraphs. So, does "talking properly" have a place in business? It seems the answer is "yes--and no."

Perhaps John Coles, a professor at a local community college said it best. "True freedom of speech is knowing both proper English and non-proper English, and choosing to use one or the other. One cannot choose if one doesn't know both."

So, what are your thoughts? In our ever-blending culture, is accuracy in writing and speaking important to you? Oer dseno't ti mtaetr in y2vr bvs!n@5s?

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