Leadership Journal managing editor Drew Dyck drops by today to share his latest efforts as an editorial vigilante. For the record, he's not usually this grumpy . . . must not have had his coffee yet. – Paul
“Drew! Grande Americano!”
I skipped up to the counter to claim my caffeine. But just as I was about take my first sip, I spotted something on the java jacket—a quote from the former Queen of Daytime TV, Oprah Winfrey.
I usually like quotes, but this one was bad—a dreadful cliché masquerading as wisdom. My half-wakened brain reeled. I had a dilemma: go without a java jacket and burn my hand or contemplate Oprah’s “wisdom” all morning. A classic first world problem, you might say. But hey, suffering is suffering.
And my suffering increased. As the weeks passed, Starbucks continued printing Oprah quotes trumpeting a Disneyfied gospel of self-actualization. Then I realized that the solution was right in front of me. Oprah’s quotes weren’t that bad; they just needed a little editing. And guess what I do for a living? I edit stuff! So I applied my craft to make Oprah’s life lessons less grandiose and (hopefully) a little more biblical.
Drew Dyck is managing editor of Leadership Journal.
