"A Proverb is a short sentence based on long experience" Miguel de Cervantes
Procurement Thought: Succinctness invokes clarity.
Those of you who have known me for years know that if you are on my "procurement friends" list (not to say that procurement friends are any different than "regular" friends) you receive a daily thought and maybe a procurement corollary. So for my first blog I thought I would express some of my ponderings in what is a rather friendly work environment with high levels of quality expectations.
For the first time in my career I find myself working at the State level. I truly enjoy my work and have some knowledgeable bosses who respect and understand the value of proper procurement. In fact, the head of my agency has strong procurement experience and takes prides on knowing the nuances of Georgia style procurement. I have listened, processed and learned that there are major differences but none more prevalent than the love of brevity in presentation. To some this idea of brevity in presentation may be second nature. That is, to speak little and say even less - politicians have that knack. However, my administrative training in the 20 or so years I spent in local governments in the State of Florida taught me to be precise yet leave no stone unturned in making written presentations. It was my training to anticipate the questions and present the potential answers even if it took an index and possibly an executive summary.
Now however, I find that in this group of leadership it is wise to anticipate the questions but present the most succinct answer possible. Not wanting to feel like an "old dog" (or "dawgs" as they say in these parts) who could not learn a new trick I have now embraced the idea of brevity, succinctness, word economy and all that goes along with that while holding back on the details that got me there. Do I find this type of presentation to be a challenge? Absolutely! Is it effective? Absolutely indeed! Accepting its effectiveness has not been easy but the results have made it very palliative. For a man who is married to a southern belle (my wife is from Alabama) and now embracing the deep south culture of Georgia, I find myself understanding that "face-to-face conversing" has no time or word limit but, formal presentations most certainly do. Refreshing manners in a way, don't you think?
So I leave you with the opening statement - succinctness invokes clarity. Why? Not because less words are understood better than more but because by starting with the idea that you want to economize in words, we are compelled to use the most efficient and effective manner of written presentation. An art maybe; a goal of course; but always supplemented by the spoken word. Or as one of my favorite poets said, "Simplicity is the glory of expression!" - Walt Whitman.
Rey Palma
10/11/13