Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

We tend to want complex things. Too simple shows that we didn’t work hard, right? No, that is usually wrong.

It happened again at work this week…

Someone wanted a couple of sentences that summarized a project. The project had been running for ten years and is a success. Lots of people use the system (“lots of” meaning far beyond the number required to call it a success).

I worked and worked and worked and created two precise, concrete, and specific sentences.

The persons wanting the sentences kicked it back. “Too simple, not ‘glitzy’ enough.”

Oh well, I’ve never worked on Madison Avenue. I’ve never been promoted to the highest levels of whatever it is that has highest levels. What do I know? I treasure brevity and clarity. Perhaps I’m just not cut out for this type of thing.

I recall that when I submitted my dissertation for a PhD many years ago that one of the professors commented, “The writing is too easy to understand.” Well, I haven’t improved much since then.