October 8, 2026

Business by the Book

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

“Tell me faster!” That is what my boss told me. He was a northeasterner, raised in New York, educated in New York, lived in New York, even worked on Wall Street in New York. He was always in a hurry on the phone. Upon answering my call I knew that I had about thirty seconds to present whatever it was that I needed to talk to him about. I would rehearse, before calling him; I would actually practice what I was going to say. He did not need deta1201 am ils; he needed facts and needed them quickly. So I learned how to present the knowledge I had to him in as few words as possible.

Once I was hoping to persuade him to make a major change of mind about a certain previous decision. Upon getting him on the phone I began to ask him questions, I had five that were written down. Upon answering these questions he would be trapped, so I thought. I thought that if he thought the way I did he would change his mind. After the third question the quarry dodged the snare. He said, “Bill, you are asking me some very basic and needless questions for which I do not have time to waste. What do you want?”  I told him and he replied, “No.”   My flawed plan of making him see things my way failed. I had knowledge, but did not use it wisely. I was foolish to think I could ensnare him, his mind worked too fast for that. He knew where I was headed and ended the chase before he could be trapped.

A week later, he made an announcement of a major policy shift that was exactly what I had hoped to convince him to do. All that was needed was to tell him my idea and let time and logic to do its work. Go figure, right! The lesson was clear; do not speak foolishly, use knowledge wisely. This lesson defined our working relationship for as long as he was my manager.

The next time someone tells you “Tell me faster;” it is probably not that they don’t care but rather they don’t have time to hear needless words. Speak wisely and use words sparingly. This is a skill that many highly productive people have mastered and grown to utilize even without thinking.

As a funny side note to all long winded public speakers, take Dr. Raymond Barber’s advice, “If you can’t strike oil in twenty minutes, quit boring!”  

Dr. William Howe