Business Advice from CEOs You Should Consider

Do you like avocado enough to trade your house for it?

Some people face this choice every day, according to one prosperous CEO, Tim Gurner. In an interview with an Australian news show, the thirty-something millionaire blamed avocado toast and fancy coffee for this generation’s lack of funds.

“When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each,” Gurner said.

The Internet responded with a roar of protests, from passionate defenses of the health benefits of avocados to calculations—forfeiting twice-weekly avocado toasts every month for five years will earn you an $11,000 dream palace.

To those millennials, here’s a promise: No avocados, or other superfoods, will be maligned in this article. If you are unwilling to give up your favorite snacks, let’s look at some of the best business advice that we found from other successful CEOs.

“When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you you’re nuts.”

This suggestion comes from billionaire Larry Ellison, the co-founder and former CEO of Oracle, a multinational computer technology company that is responsible for many platform services and cloud applications.

While working for IBM, computer scientist Edgar F. Codd invented relational database systems, but he concluded that the premise would see “no commercial potential.”

Ellison, on the other hand, saw the potential and ran with the idea all the way to the bank. He didn’t worry about the people who didn’t share his vision and neither should you.

Don’t be discouraged if you catch flak from doubters; you’re in good company. And what a story you’ll have to tell when you achieve your goals!

“Don’t be fungible.”

Is a definition in order? Probably so . . . Something fungible is replaceable or interchangeable with an identical item. You can thank Larry Summers, former U.S. Secretary of Treasury, for this wisdom.

Working in the treasury must have made Summers an expert in fungibility. Money, you see, is fungible. If you loaned twenty dollars to someone, you wouldn’t expect the debtor to return the exact bill you lent. Any twenty dollar bill will do, right? To advance in your career, however, you want to stand out from other employees.

Summers doesn’t leave you in the dark about how to differentiate yourself from a crowd of coworkers: “Have a distinctive expertise or perspective,” he said.

What’s your strength? Identify it as Summers noted, and let it shine!

“I don’t think it matters how small or how big the task is, if you can do it just a little bit better than what is expected, you will be noticed and rewarded.”

You don’t feel uniquely talented? Then, work harder than everyone else like Jeffrey Katzenberg, the co-founder of DreamWorks. Katzenberg’s production company is responsible for wildly popular films, including The Boss Baby, Shrek, and Kung Fu Panda.

According to Katzenberg, the mission of every DreamWorks film is to exceed the audience’s expectations. On your next project, ask yourself, “What you can do to take it to the next level?”

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t wow your colleagues every time. Even Katzenberg admits that not every movie is as successful as they’d like them to be. However, building a reputation for going the extra mile will ensure that people will want you on their team for the long run.

“Remember that you can do anything you want to do. Don’t let anyone say, ‘You’re not smart enough . . . it’s too hard . . . it’s a dumb idea . . . no one has done that before . . . girls don’t do that.’ My mom gave me that advice in 1973. And it allowed me to never worry about what others were saying about my career direction.”

Meg Whitman of Hewlett Packard offers sage advice for anyone who feels inadequate or ill-prepared for a job because of gender or any other reason. Rather than avoiding challenging tasks, you should seek them. By doing so, you give yourself an opportunity to learn new skills, and you also learn more about yourself. Perhaps you are underestimating yourself! Of course, some abilities may lie beyond your scope. But you won’t know what your boundaries are until you push them. What goal can you stretch toward next? A good rule of thumb is to reach out just a little beyond what you’ve already accomplished for each objective.

By the way . . .

Medical News Today says that eating nutrient-rich avocados can “help to decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion and hair, increased energy and overall lower weight.”

The money you probably save on doctor’s visits and medicine alone makes it worth the effort.

To be fair, Gurner admits it wasn’t only evading the temptation of smashed avocado toast with feta crumble that paved his way to property ownership. His boss invested in his first place, and he combined the profits from that place with a loan from his grandfather to fund his next venture.

What he really means to say is that you have to work hard and avoid unnecessary excesses if you want to save for a home or business. Let’s cut the guy a break and take inspiration from his counsel.

Smash your (preferably home-grown) avocados yourself and limit your discretionary spending. Soon after, you’ll be the one offering sage business advice as a CEO of a high-profile company.

What is the Most Maddening Writing Error? Misused Apostrophes

Grammarly’s cut-throat competition to determine the most “maddening” writing error concluded on April 6, 2014 with MISUSED APOSTROPHES crowned as the undisputed Grammar Madness bracket champion.

Tens of thousands of grammarians voted in 16 separate match-ups representing the most annoying errors in English writing.

According to one voter in the final match-up between YOUR/YOU’RE and MISUSED APOSTROPHES: “[I]t seems like there is a whole new wave of people who believe that you NEED an apostrophe and an ‘s’ to make a word plural.”

There’s no doubt that misused apostrophes are maddening to word enthusiasts across the globe. Institutions that have taken a stand on apostrophes continue to stoke the fire:

• The Domestic Names Committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names doesn’t like apostrophes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• The Cambridge City Council proposed to abolish the use of apostrophes on street signs (The Telegraph).
• The Internet doesn’t include apostrophes as part of Web addresses (for example: McDonald’s is mcdonalds.com).

Generally, an apostrophe is used to indicate possession – not plural – and to mark missing letters in contractions (for example: you are = you’re).

The Oatmeal has an amazing visual primer on how to use an apostrophe.

When in doubt, conventional wisdom tells us not to use an apostrophe in our writing. This may save us from any one of the following embarrassing – and very public – writing mistakes:

What’s the worst misuse of an apostrophe that you’ve seen in your daily life? We’ll post the best examples on our Facebook page for the consideration of more than one million actively engaged grammarians!

Disinterested vs. Uninterested—Are They the Same?

• Disinterested means “without a vested interest.”
• Uninterested means “not showing interest.”

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The words disinterested and uninterested are sometimes used as if they have the same meaning. But there is a difference, and to avoid confusion, you should be aware of what that difference is.

What Does Disinterested Mean?

When someone doesn’t have a vested interest in a matter, or doesn’t have a horse in that race, we can say that this person is disinterested. To be disinterested means to be impartial, which explains why this word, in its traditional sense, is often used in legal or business contexts:

Is the judge disinterested regarding this case or does she need to recuse herself?

However, writers sometimes use disinterested when uninterested would be more accurate:

He seemed disinterested in what was going on around him.

But, to avoid confusion, it’s best to preserve the distinction between these two words.

What Does Uninterested Mean?

If someone is bored, doesn’t care about something, or isn’t showing an interest in something, we can use the word uninterested to describe them:

He seemed uninterested in what was going on around him.

Sheila was uninterested in learning math; she preferred social studies.

Examples

The directors who consider the bid must be disinterested and not receive a benefit from the transaction, and they must be governed by an overarching duty of care owed to the association.

The Los Angeles Times

Criticism, in this light, is neither a mode of revelation nor of disinterested judgment.

The Brooklyn Rail

Unfortunately for City Hall’s exterminators, they also seemed totally uninterested in recently laid traps baited with poison.

New Zealand Herald

But we’re comparatively uninterested in buying health and beauty products online, despite spending 18 percent more this November.

Chicago Tribune

Aid vs. Aide—What Is the Difference?

• Aid (as a noun) means “help” or “assistance.” As a verb it means “to help” or “to assist.”
• An aide is an assistant.

Even though the words aid and aide have similar meanings, are written similarly, and are pronounced the same, they cannot be used interchangeably.

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What Does Aid Mean?

Aid can be a verb, a noun, or an adjective. It is synonymous with the words “help” or “assist” when used as a verb, and again “help” and “assistance” when used as a noun:

He stayed home so he could aid his aging parents.

The first round of financial aid was granted to the developing country.

The first in a series of aid packages has been green-lit.

What Does Aide Mean?

Aide is always used as a noun. It means assistant. Some dictionaries note that aid, used as a noun, can have the same meaning, but for the most part publications tend to use aide for assisant and aid for assistance:

We tried to get to the CEO of the company, but we were only able to talk with John, her aide.

Examples

Cuts to legal aid have created a two-tier justice system in “crisis”, a new report warns.

The Daily Mail

While there is some trepidation around the recent weakness in the yuan, some are looking at the bright side of a weaker currency aiding Chinese exports.

Reuters

This is at odds with government commitments to eliminating wasteful aid spending, imposing accountability and cracking down on tax havens.

Financial Times

Lord Sugar’s former aide on ‘The Apprentice’, Nick Hewer, might have been on the show for ten years, but that doesn’t mean he enjoyed it.

The Huffington Post UK

Presume vs. Assume

• Presume is a verb that means to suppose, to take for granted, or to dare.
• Assume is a verb that means to suppose, to take for granted, to take upon, to don, or to undertake.
• In the shared meaning of “to suppose,” presume is usually used when you suppose based on probability, while assume is used when you suppose without any evidence.

What’s the difference between “assume” and “presume”? “Assume” is to “presume” as a brother is to a sister. The previous statement is an analogy, a comparison of how two things relate to each other. Analogies are used to explain or to clarify. For those who confuse “presume” and “assume,” an analogy is just the thing!

Difference Between Assume and Presume

Just as a brother and sister have the same parents, “assume” and “presume” have the same etymological roots. “Assume” has Latin roots. It comes from a verb that means “to take up or adopt.” “Presume” derives from a Latin verb that means “to take upon oneself, to take liberty, or to take for granted.” Both Latin verbs can be traced to a common root, sumere, which means to put on or take up.

A brother and sister have similar features. “Assume” and “presume” are spelled in almost the same way, except for their prefixes. “Pre-” means “before.” The “as-” of assume might have been “ad-” originally. The “-ad” prefix means “to” or “up.”

A brother and sister are not interchangeable. Because of their unique personalities, parents may give them different chores. Assume and presume have different meanings and usages.

Assume Definition

To assume means “to take for granted or to suppose,” and this is the meaning that leads to the most confusion between assume and presume. But that’s not the only thing you could be saying when you say assume—to assume might also mean to take responsibility for a duty, to appropriate, or to undertake a task. The same verb refers to adopting qualities or pretending to do so. So, you can assume a different identity, but also assume guard duty. In this sense, assume is synonymous with “take on” or “take up.”

Presume Definition

To presume also means “to take for granted” or “to suppose,” and just like assume, it has another meaning as well. “To act or to undertake with undue boldness or without permission” is another meaning presume can take on. In law, it refers to accepting something as true in the absence of proof of its falsity.

Of course, brothers and sisters may share some responsibilities. Both “presume” and “assume” carry the thought of supposing or taking for granted that something is true. In that sense, presume is often used as another word for assume, and vice versa. But there is a slight difference even when they are used in this sense—when you presume something, it can be considered that you’re doing so on the basis of probability. When you assume something, you’re supposing without proof. After all, the adverb presumably means “by reasonable assumption.”

Examples: Assume and Presume in Sentences

Did the analogy help you learn the difference between “assume” and “presume”? Like brother and sister, they have the same parentage. While they share some definitions, they are unique as a brother and sister would also be. If this didn’t help, here are some examples of how assume and presume are used:

May’s deputy spokesman said Johnson would assume the position of duty minister after Philip Hammond, the chancellor, who took the role last week. —The Guardian

But even that argument is narrow-minded because it assumes women are monolithic and all have the same needs, interests and political positions. —Chicago Tribune

I hesitate to presume anything leggier than that, but a 2.8x multiplier like The Night Before gives Sausage Party a $37m debut weekend. —Forbes

Pressure has been mounting on policymakers to introduce presumed liability into civil law to protect vulnerable road users. —The Herald

Laying vs. Lying (Lay vs. Lie)–What’s the Difference?

What’s the difference between lay and lie?

You lie down, but you lay something down. Lie does not require a direct object. Lay requires a direct object. The same rule applies to laying and lying (not lieing—beware of spelling). The past tense of lay is laid, but be careful with the past tense of lie—there are two options. We’ll dive into them later.

When to Use Lay

To lay is to set (or otherwise place) something in a resting position. Here are a few examples of lay in a sentence.

I don’t like to lay my purse on the floor.

The dogs always lay their toys next to their water bowls.

How to Use Lie

A lie is an untruth. However, it’s the verb form of lie that people find difficult to distinguish from lay. The verb lie means to tell a falsehood. Here’s an example of lie in a sentence:

Sometimes children lie to get out of trouble.

If to tell an untruth were the only meaning of lie, using these two words properly would be less of a challenge. However, lie can also mean to recline or to rest in a flat position. Notice this example:

The fat cat likes to lie in the sun.

How to Remember the Difference between Lay and Lie

(pLAce) and (recLIne)

This mnemonic should help you remember that lay, which begins with the letters L-A, has a long A sound like its definition: to place. On the other hand, lie, which starts with the letters L-I, has a long I sound like its definition: to recline.

How Should I Use Lay vs. Lie?

Knowing what the words mean doesn’t mean you necessarily know how to use lay and lie. Again, here are a few rules to help you. In the present tense, you often use a direct object with lay. However, lie can’t take a direct object. Look back at the examples again to see these rules in play.

There’s still one more thing you need to know. When you are talking about reclining, the past tense of lie is lay! Here’s an example.

Yesterday, he lay down to sleep at ten o’clock. Tonight, he won’t lie down until midnight.[/example]

Laying Vs. Lying

Beware of spelling! The present participle of lie is not lieing. The I becomes a Y: lying. Here is a mnemonic from the website Primility to help you tell laying and lying apart:

“If you tell an untruth it is a lie, not a lay; and if you are in the process of telling an untruth you are lying and not laying.”

The delivery boy took pleasure in gingerly laying each newspaper on the stoop.

I can always tell when my friend is lying because she bites her lip.

I spend rainy days lying on my couch.

Don’t leave dirty clothes lying around the house.

The past tense of lie (as in, to tell an untruth) is lied. As you can see, the past tense of lie is lay, but the past tense of lay is laid, which is a recipe for confusion! To remember that laid (as opposed to lain) is the past tense of lay, just memorize this phrase:

Use a D when there is a direct object. Because you need a direct object only with lay, you will know that the past tense is laid.

Examples

I would like to lie next to him in the dark and watch him breathe and watch him sleep and wonder what he’s dreaming about and not get an inferiority complex if the dreams aren’t about me.

Rachel Cohn, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits.

George Orwell, Animal Farm

Did the examples help you figure out the difference between lay and lie? If you have mastered this commonly confused pair, try your hand at loose vs. lose and entitled vs. titled.

Mistake of the Month: Missing Commas

There are two types of writers in this world: those who use too many commas and those who use too few. While unnecessary commas can turn straightforward sentences into twisting labyrinths of syntactical confusion, missing a critical comma can change the entire meaning of your sentence.

Consider the headline from the now-infamous Rachael Ray cover of Tails magazine: “Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog.” While the line breaks of the original cover make it apparent what the editors meant to say, the lack of commas between the three items in the list—“cooking,” “family,” and “her dog”—caused Tails to accidentally portray Ray as a cannibal who gleefully cooks her family and dog. Wonder if she uses EVOO for that, too?

Here are some places in your writing where you should include commas:

1. After an introductory element. When complex sentences begin with a phrase or clause, a comma is required to separate the introductory element and the independent clause. The previous sentence demonstrates this rule, but let’s look at some more examples:

• Without a care in the world, Mildred raced down the hill on her brand-new velocipede.
• In an attempt to fix the TV, he smacked the side of the set.
• To her, Paris would always be the most magical city in the world.

Note that with shorter introductory elements—generally those consisting of four or fewer words—you can technically skip the comma. However, it’s never wrong to use a comma in this instance, and eschewing it can lead to confusion.

2. Around a nonrestrictive or nonessential element. Nonrestrictive elements provide added information, but without them the sentence would still make sense. For example, “My wife, Karen, bakes the best peach cobbler.” Presumably the speaker has only one wife, so telling us her name is a helpful but nonessential aside. This piece from the New York Times has more on the difference between essential and nonessential elements, but here are a couple of additional examples:

• My best friend, Jimmy Brown, always brings an extra pudding cup for me. (People can only have one best friend at a time, so his name is a nonessential element.)
• I played the game Settlers of Catan for six hours this weekend with my friend Parvati. (Here, neither Settlers of Catan nor Parvati should be set off with commas because there are more games and friends in the world other than the two mentioned in the sentence.)

That and which indicate essential and nonessential elements, respectively. When you use that, don’t use a comma, as in “The ants that have infested my kitchen show no signs of leaving.” In this example, we need to know which specific ants the speaker is talking about. However, in the sentence “Ants, which have infested my kitchen, are my least favorite insect,” the aside set off by commas is interesting, yet taking it out doesn’t change the core meaning of the sentence.

3. After the next-to-last item in a list. Among English enthusiasts, the Oxford (or serial) comma is one of the most frequently debated topics. (Ironically, British English doesn’t tend to use the Oxford comma as frequently as American English.) When you have three or more items in a list, you have the option to use a comma between the next-to-last and last items in that list. This can sometimes clarify potential confusion or downright awkward misunderstandings. Mental Floss has a collection of pro and con examples, so take a look and decide for yourself which one you want to use.

The important thing is to be consistent; while both styles are technically correct, switching between the two in the same piece of writing is a faux pas everyone can agree on.

Are you for or against the Oxford comma? Leave a comment below!