How Fixing Typos Helped My Business

Josh LaPoint
Jul 30
4 min read

This week, I was conducting interviews for an article I’m writing and have opted to transcribe my own notes using Microsoft Word. I like to correct any typos after completing the interview because I don’t like to interrupt an expert’s train of thought. It is easier to go back and correct any mistakes afterwards. I made some very interesting observations while correcting my transcription yesterday and I think they’re applicable to both our personal and business lives when fixing problems.

When You Make A Mistake

When Microsoft Word thinks you’ve made a mistake, it typically does one of two things. If the mistake seems simple enough, it will correct it on its own and underline it in blue so you know something changed. If the solution is unclear but it’s obvious there’s a problem, it will mark the word with a red squiggly line to really draw your attention.

This is the same thing that happens when leading employees, raising children, and even managing myself, my most unruly employee. Some issues seem easy to categorize and solve automatically, almost unconsciously, while others are more complicated and require more consideration. They're both potentially hazardous and require close attention.

I Know, I Know

I’ve noticed in Word that the automatic solutions can pose a greater risk to the meaning of my sentence than an obvious typo because the “corrected” word is occasionally not right either. I can be lulled into a false sense of security by seeing no red wigglies on a transcription and fail to review the blue lines (e.g. as I type

d this, I misspelled the word ‘lines’ and it autocorrected to ‘liens’).

A real-life example might be if I talked about the fine characteristics of Incrediball Hydrangea and how it is superior to the traditional Annabelle hydrangea. Imagine a potential customer comments, “We should talk about this.” My instinct is to assume they agree with my assertions and may be interested in buying some. What if they’d just added Annabelle to their production and feel the need to defend their choice? Now we have a greater misunderstanding.

Personally, I think Incrediball is a great plant, but Annabelle has earned its role in the marketplace as well. Can you see how the “blue line” interpreted interpretation can sometimes be a mistake that causes greater issues in the future? In life, we have to make assumptions to operate with any kind of speed and it is okay to make mistakes as well. But it’s a great idea to spend an extra second or two when interpreting what someone means by what they say. If it’s in email, social media, etc. you have all the time in the world to consider and respond.

Red Line Problem

The second issue is the red squiggly line issues. With red squiggly lines, the meaning is nonsense from the start so we know a correction must be made. I right-click on the word and several suggestions appear. Most often, the solution is among those suggested but sometimes it is not. Why? Sometimes it is because the typo was so egregious that even Microsoft Word can’t comprehend my intent. Other times, it’s because I left a letter out or included an extra letter. Imagine how hard it would be to make a puzzle that came without ten pieces or with ten extra pieces?

Understanding in Context

A few of the typos end up being a missed space between words or a space a few letters into a word that creates a really jumbled mess. The key to understanding the intent and solving the issue is to read the sentence in context. I know that sounds simplistic, but a lot of clarifications are required simply because we are only half-paying attention and miss the context of what’s being said.

Missing Letters

In life, we sometimes under-communicate so the other party is left with a partial message and has to fill in the gaps as best they can. Normally, this leaves a person unsure of how to proceed because they need more information to know what constitutes a “win” or have a limited understanding of the tools available to them to solve the issue. Asking for help is super important in these scenarios.

Sometimes their mind fills in the blanks and they take action, albeit the wrong action. Other times, the lack if information is enough cause someone to be paralyzed. The deciding factor is generally whether or not the person feels they’re in a supportive environment. If they feel their boss, spouse, parent will back their play, they’ll move forward and take a shot, even if it doesn’t work out. If they feel they will get snapped at or be punished for making a mistake, they’ll be paralyzed.

Extra Letters

The other thing that happens is overcommunicating, like adding an extra letter into a word so the program can’t figure out what word I intended. In real life, this typically comes from overcommunicating, getting too deep into the minutiae, getting into too many potential outcomes, or having too many voices trying to lead. I think in this case, there are typically two outcomes. The first is often called analysis paralysis, where there is too much data, too many factors, to make a timely decision. This shows itself whenever failure is not tolerated. Remember, the goal is progress, not perfection.

The second outcome is just a slow pace. Decisive leaders have to cut through some of the extra facts, focus on the definite chief aim of a project, and take action. Oftentimes, this allows you to cut out extra portions of a value stream mapping. My favorite example of this is the SpaceX Raptor rocket. The first generation looked so complicated and intricate but two generations later, it is about half the size, virtually no complexity, and looks sleek and streamlined. The engineers kept removing parts until it didn’t work anymore and it created a better rocket overall.