I just lost thousands of dollars because of a punctuation mark. A comma, of course.
Yes, a simple comma cost me much in a legal case.
The Little Stuff Counts
The Story of a Comma
Excited to move my business practice ahead, a contract was on my desk to sign. The agreement to hire and gain more sales was attractive. I was thinking this was a legitimate proposal and was not thinking that it might be a scam.
I looked over the contract and read the expectations that the service would be rendered without any hitches. I was eager to move the business forward. The contract was simple, just a couple of pages, and did not seem to need any more proof reading.
Flash Forward
Now, three months later, I am listening to the voice of the court clerk asking me to read the name of the business that had not kept its agreement and had been over paid for services not rendered.
- I read the name.
- Again, I read the business name.
- A little confused, I read the business name once more.
- The court clerk, asked me again to read the name of the business.
- Again, I read the name.
- What was I missing?
- The court clerk then asked me if I could see the comma?
I looked carefully at the corporate register’s search document and saw that a small comma in the business name was visible.
What Did That Comma Mean?
A Stupid, Stupid Comma
The comma was a part of the business legal name and when the comma was left out of the Affidavit of Service it would cause the case I was filing nullified. A little item like a comma could play a significant part in the outcome of the complaint I had. A little object, like a comma could cost me thousands of dollars.
Few businesses use a comma in their name and surprised I learned the comma was a ‘red flag’ to the court clerk. For me, it was not something I had expected. This made me realize that lies are often subtle and rarely expected.
A small comma is like a small lie. It can seem insignificant but have multiple impacts. The comma could have stopped the legal process. The comma could have prevented justice. The comma could have …blah, blah, blah…
A Comma in a Business Name
The legal name of the parties involved in a contract is a very important consideration. A small oversight such as a comma in the legal business name can nullify a court proceeding. To make sure that the document is correctly written, a corporate profile search undertaken at a registry office.
This double-checks that the legal name matches the contractual agreement. If a civil court case ensues this documentation is helpful. Some companies know a case loses because of this small oversight, so do the research before going to court.
How Prepared are You When Signing Contracts?
Your Ethical Journey
Business leadership is an ethical journey but sometimes unethical people lay snares that entangle and cause serious disruptions in the day-to-day operations. Therefore, contracts are an important source of truth and writing one carefully can save future misunderstandings, reduce operational headaches and risk.
All written contracts should make sure that both parties are evenly and fairly represented. The contract is a binding document that is easily to interpret and to follow.
Leadership and Truth in a Legal Agreement
Legal clauses are crucial in interpretation from what the contract states to meaning from the words written. The contract states and clarifies short and long-term commitments. The legal clause are found in change in control agreements, publishing agreements, speaking contracts, etc.
Legal clauses are disclaimers, non-disclosure statements and business-marketing strategy agreements.
Understanding detailed legal statements requires expertise beyond the scope of this blog; however the point that legal jargon is relevant and important for leaders is critical.
Truth in a legal contract is a trust that extends to both parties of the agreement. The buyer and the seller in a contract want to gain from the relationship. Neither expects the other to defraud. However, fraud results as the outcome of side-stepped truth.
So, just like the comma is a ‘red flag’ to keep in mind to prevent possible snares documentation is also important.
Solidify Your Business Contract
Documentation is the single biggest reason projects succeed. To write successful contracts include statements that are meaningful and understandable.
The following sentence will show a good deliverable.
“Target decision makers called without allowing no downtime in the campaign.”
The following sentence will show a better way to write a good deliverable.
“Target decision makers have a website that is under performing with a page rank of 0-3; and furthermore allowing no downtime in the campaign hours between 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM on weekdays.”
Good Leadership Documents Outcomes
The best way to decide if the contractual agreement works is to document outcomes.
Create a spreadsheet to track the obligations of the buyer and the seller; such as, the date, name and deliverable in the contract on the spreadsheet. Documentation of calls, emails, personal and business meetings recorded give evidence.
In the following contract, three key questions see whether excessive downtime caused problems in the campaign.
“Target decision makers have a website that is under performing with a page rank of 0-3; and furthermore allowing no downtime in the campaign hours between 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM on weekdays.”
- Were the decision makers called?
- Did the campaign run on the expected hours?
- If a website was under performing did they get help?
This documentation of outcomes reduces anxiety and measures expectations realistically.
Truth is justified when seen with evidence. For example, get the evidence that your website is not under performing with critical web analytics today. Gain confidence knowing your management and leadership performance with executive video assessments. Documented outcomes are how leaders can solidify their businesses.
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Q: So then, what documented outcomes do you value?
A: Please post your comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts!
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Loreen Sherman is CEO of Star-Ting Inc | Executive Coach | Sr. Mgmt. Consultant
She serves clients with a 3-D Analytic Assessments and Succession Planning
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Corporate | Booking | ☎ 403.289.2292
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