Mana-gems for Managerms

Whew! When I started these TWOGs in September—weekly, to have some provocative fun in a page or 2—I never dreamed they would take so much time (usually the better part of 3 mornings). I hate the obligation but love the inspiration. They give me a chance to revisit ideas that have been developing over a lifetime. But once in a while, I need a break: to do something lighter, but not entirely frivolous.

I collect typographical errors. Believe me, it’s a lot easier than collecting antique cars. The whole collection fits into one little folder. This began, not because I write badly, but because I write, badly. I scribble, off key.¹ (How to integrate on screen when the keyboard pushes all the notes away?) So my assistants over the years—Kate for 9 and now Santa going on 17—have had to convert my scribbles into binary bits. In the process they have made some wonderfully serendipitous slips. I collect the best of them, under the label “typos.” (Lately I have been banging away myself too, on keys, which means more pypos, not fewer.) Here are a few. Cover your eyes.

Leading Typos

Brief executive (Chief)

The marketing vice pediment (president)

What leadership is: Stimulating teamwork. Taking the long view. Engendering trust. Setting curse. [course]

Busimanship [from a Swedish colleague]

...creating short-term winds (wins)

Crass-cultural management [Cross]

Managerms

Unplanned Typos

Strategic Pleasing (Planning)

Strategic Panning (Planning, yet again)

Strategic peas (plans)

stuff planners (staff)

Planning can be a means to knit desperate activities together. (disparate)

destructive competencies (distinctive)

Strategy as a path to get from her to there. (from here to her? to get her there?)

Only those who have the wisdom to see the pat are able to imagine the future. (past)

Diversifiction (Please sing altogether: What a difference an “a” makes.)

And don’t forget e-nails and connferences.

For the record, this TWIG took the better part of 4 mornings.

Also for the record, I made a mistake last week. “The fashionable depiction sees managers as doing the right things while leaders do things right” should have read: “The fashionable depiction sees the manager as doing things right while the leader does the right thing.” Thank you Brendan Calder for pointing this out.

© Henry Mintzberg 2015