Page 178 - The Voice of Authority

ulations that prohibit that. We have sufficient em-
ployee space acrossed the street and violations of
parking policy will not be excused or excepted. We
have made this policy clear in recent staff meetings
we will have security officers ticket those who park il-
legally. thank you for your consideration.

Power, power, power, who’s got the power? Certainly
not this manager. The person who sends out such an error-
filled document becomes a laughingstock rather than a
leader.
Incorrect punctuation and poor grammar can take
you to court, cost you untold dollars, and even change
the meaning of your prose. For example, the use of may
and shall became a topic of discussion during the U.S.
2000 presidential election. Was the word choice in the
election laws of the State of Florida a matter of incon-
sistency and ungrammatical usage or a correct and pur-
poseful choice of words to convey strictly different
meanings? Both George W. Bush and Al Gore made use
of the grammatical arguments in their legal briefs filed
in court.
The ability to write clearly is no small matter. Similar
grammar issues determine the outcome of legal cases in-
volving millions of dollars every day in corporate Amer-
ica. And, unfortunately, grammar determines clarity, re-
work, and productivity—whether supplies show up in
Pittsburgh or Peoria.

Those who write and speak competently get attention.
They earn promotions and respect as leaders.
Why? Your writing and presentations reflect your think-
ing: How well you organize your ideas. If you can sort the
significant from the trivial. How quickly you think on your

166 The Voice of Authority