I get very annoyed when I read a garbled report, a jumbled email or a truncated text message. Surely, being able to write well is a basic requirement for success.

Note that I said well and basic, not excellent and essential. And why not? Because I have worked with successful people who are rather clueless when it comes to grammar, punctuation and word choice. One is a CEO who can fix broken businesses even though he is flummoxed by language. Another is a dyslexic business founder whose company is still growing after 30 years.

Why then do I get annoyed with clueless communicators? Because many are simply lazy and expect me to do the work of deciphering their mangled missives.

I willingly struggle through the prose of successful people because they have already earned my respect. Invariably, what they are trying to communicate is worth understanding.

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide