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"Clarity. Boldness. We say that we value these qualities in communication at work.
So why is nearly everything we read so full of bullshit?
Our inboxes, browsers, and smartphone screens are filled with jargon-laden, meandering drivel. Why can't people get to the point and say what they mean? [...]
After 35 years of reading and writing for work, I decided to face this problem head-on: to determine what causes bullshit, and how we can all learn to write without it. The problem is real. And the solution is within reach. It's just a question of committing yourself to writing without bullshit."
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"If you read the pages of the Wall Street Journal you would come to believe that business is about big deals—about multi-billion dollar acquisitions, massive pay packages for executives, macroeconomic forces, stuff like that.
In fact, the secret of success is in the little things. Billions of small decisions. [...]
Spend a few moments with this essay, and we'll show you three things. First, customer experience is central. ... Second, customer experience is hard, because it's not just about your front-line customer-facing employees. ... Third, delivering a great customer experience requires discipline—or more accurately, six disciplines that cut across every element of how your company operates."
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"Individuals have more power than ever.
Managers can see this as a threat, or as an opportunity.
Think about it. Any of your customers could trash your reputation at any moment. They could write a video about his bad experience that attracts 8 million views, which is what Dave Carroll did after United Airlines baggage handlers broke his guitar. They could tell a million people to never buy your product, which is what Heather Armstrong did when, surrounded by soiled diapers, her frustration at Maytag's inability to fix her new clothes washer boiled over.
For managers, the only defense is to empower your own employees to solve those customers' problems."
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