WRITE PROFESSIONALLY
WHY IT MATTERS
The job of a leader is to take people places. The vehicle through which that journey most often happens is communication, and much of the communication that leaders provide takes place through writing. Leaders who write effectively deliver powerful and cohesive messages that keep their organization aligned, on track, and informed. They know how to exert great influence through written words. Leaders who can’t write effectively open themselves up to the risk of being misunderstood or misrepresented, and having their credibility brought into question. If a leader can’t convey their thoughts in writing, or do it without obvious error, they will struggle to reach those they lead or gain their full professional confidence.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that write professionally take writing seriously. They move the work of the organization forward by clearly and accurately expressing themselves, their ideas, thoughts, positions, decisions, and actions. They know their ability to write is a direct reflection of their personal credibility. They maintain the highest standards when drafting written communications for the organization and its stakeholders. They see writing professionally not as an end in and of itself, but as a means to ensure their messages are received and understood.
Leaders that write professionally ensure they properly apply the rules of grammar and punctuation. They know that simple mistakes in spelling and grammar can immediately draw people’s attention away from their core message and quickly discredit the thoughts and ideas they are trying to convey. They make sure sloppiness in their writing doesn’t interfere or detract from the importance of their message.
Leaders that write professionally begin their written communications with their key thoughts and most important ideas. They follow up and defend each of their thoughts and ideas with arguments and data to support their conclusions. They organize how they present their thoughts in a logical flow that is easy for their readers to follow and understand. Their ideas are accurately delivered because of the simplicity and exactness with which they are organized.
Leaders that write professionally are schooled in the many writing forms and techniques. They begin each writing task by assessing who their audience is. They next define the end purposes and goals of the communication they are crafting. After defining their audience and goals, leaders customize their writing tone, level, style, and approach to best meet the needs of every situation. They craft their writing in the way that is most likely to connect with their readers and reach them at their level of understanding.
Leaders that write professionally are not afraid to receive feedback on their writing. They see feedback as an essential step to ensuring their writing is sufficient and exact. They know how to invest in getting a written communication just right. They recognize the level of professionalism each communication requires and spend the time crafting it to perfection.
Leaders that write professionally write in teams. Instead of writing alone they recruit people to draft work, review it, add to it, edit it, and make sure that it reaches its goals with the highest quality.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
The job of a leader is to take people places. The vehicle through which that journey most often happens is communication, and much of the communication that leaders provide takes place through writing. Leaders who write effectively deliver powerful and cohesive messages that keep their organization aligned, on track, and informed. They know how to exert great influence through written words. Leaders who can’t write effectively open themselves up to the risk of being misunderstood or misrepresented, and having their credibility brought into question. If a leader can’t convey their thoughts in writing, or do it without obvious error, they will struggle to reach those they lead or gain their full professional confidence.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that write professionally take writing seriously. They move the work of the organization forward by clearly and accurately expressing themselves, their ideas, thoughts, positions, decisions, and actions. They know their ability to write is a direct reflection of their personal credibility. They maintain the highest standards when drafting written communications for the organization and its stakeholders. They see writing professionally not as an end in and of itself, but as a means to ensure their messages are received and understood.
Leaders that write professionally ensure they properly apply the rules of grammar and punctuation. They know that simple mistakes in spelling and grammar can immediately draw people’s attention away from their core message and quickly discredit the thoughts and ideas they are trying to convey. They make sure sloppiness in their writing doesn’t interfere or detract from the importance of their message.
Leaders that write professionally begin their written communications with their key thoughts and most important ideas. They follow up and defend each of their thoughts and ideas with arguments and data to support their conclusions. They organize how they present their thoughts in a logical flow that is easy for their readers to follow and understand. Their ideas are accurately delivered because of the simplicity and exactness with which they are organized.
Leaders that write professionally are schooled in the many writing forms and techniques. They begin each writing task by assessing who their audience is. They next define the end purposes and goals of the communication they are crafting. After defining their audience and goals, leaders customize their writing tone, level, style, and approach to best meet the needs of every situation. They craft their writing in the way that is most likely to connect with their readers and reach them at their level of understanding.
Leaders that write professionally are not afraid to receive feedback on their writing. They see feedback as an essential step to ensuring their writing is sufficient and exact. They know how to invest in getting a written communication just right. They recognize the level of professionalism each communication requires and spend the time crafting it to perfection.
Leaders that write professionally write in teams. Instead of writing alone they recruit people to draft work, review it, add to it, edit it, and make sure that it reaches its goals with the highest quality.
BELIEFS
- Your writing ability will directly impact your personal and professional credibility.
- Take the time to write right, or you will need to spend the time correcting people’s misunderstandings later on.
- Nothing will discredit a written message faster than simple spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
- Get feedback on your writing to make sure you get it right. Very few people can get it perfect without the help of others.
- Strong professional writing will always help you, poor professional writing will always hurt you.
- No matter the message, if the writing isn’t done right you will have a hard time seeing it received well.
- Maybe the most important role of a leader is to be an expert communicator. That means learning how to write well.
- Different scenarios and audiences require different writing. You have to customize your approach based on your audience.
BEST PRACTICES
- Rely on writing as a key form of communication.
- Don’t require lots of room to convey your ideas.
- Ensure your writing is modified to each audience.
- Clearly state your main ideas and thoughts.
- Back up your main ideas with compelling data.
- Tailor your writing to different audiences.
- Follow proper grammar and punctuation rules.
- Don’t invest time in writing that doesn’t matter.
- Do not use social media writing styles at work.
- Write in a variety of communication styles.
- Share your written thoughts succinctly.
- Structure material for memorable consumption.
- Create reports that are clear and easy to understand.
- See writing as a reflection of professional capability.
- Ask others to edit the quality of your writing.
- Use spell check or other tools to ensure proper spelling.
- Conform your writing to published standards.
- Be convincing when sharing your thoughts and ideas.
- Organize your thoughts in a manner that is easy to follow.
- Sense what type of writing approach to use when.
- Know your audience before you ever start writing.
- Ask someone else to review your work.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I take the time to tailor my writing to each audience, or do I treat every communication the same?
- Do I ask others for feedback on how to improve my written communications, or do I keep my work to myself?
- Do I maintain high writing standards, or do I let social media shortcuts spill over into my formal communication?
- Do I know and apply the rules of proper grammar and punctuation, or do I fill my writing with obvious errors?
- Do I strategically organize my ideas so they flow and build on each other, or do I write at random?
- Do I keep my writing simple and easy to understand, or do I make it overtly complex?
- Do I have the confidence to communicate through writing, or do I avoid it and look for other ways?
- Do I see my writing skills as a reflection on my credibility, or do I underestimate the damage bad writing can do?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t put yourself out of reach of the common reader by making your writing too flowery or too complex.
- Don’t rely on written communication to deliver messages that should be delivered in other ways.
- Don’t worry about how smart your writing makes you look, worry about if you are effectively conveying your message.
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
- My friends refer to me as “the grammar police.”
- I am excellent at communicating through the written word.
- There is no message that I can’t communicate well through e-mail.
- Inside of me, there is a novel that I just need to find the time to write.
- English was one of my favorite subjects in school.