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Category Archives: Office Politics
Friend, Foe, or Both? Life in the Government Contracting World
One thing that struck me as curious when I started working for a defense contractor was how other companies could be competitors on some proposals and partner (prime or sub) contractors on others. I’ll try to explain why this happens … Continue reading
Handling Last-Minute Requests
We all get them, even if we’re not technical writers in our professions. Is there a sensible way to deal with last-minute requests? Fortunately, yes. Is there such a thing as hard-and-fast rule that covers every situation? Alas, no. But … Continue reading
Playing the Game
When I was in my early to mid-twenties, I was often sarcastic, dismissive of manager opinions, and expecting to advance by people naturally recognizing how brilliant I was. In short, I was a smart-@$$, entitled, pain in the neck. I … Continue reading
Do You Need a Diplomacy Filter?
Sometime in my twenties, I started realizing that people could get hurt or offended by my choice of words in a business document. I wasn’t insulting people (deliberately) or using vulgar language. I was, however, not always aware of some … Continue reading
Writing for Government Agencies in a Partisan Political Environment
When political passions get heated in a free society, individuals writing for government agencies can find the mere act of posting information challenging. While I’ll provide examples below, the short version of my advice is: “Write what the party/person in … Continue reading