America Takes Over Art of the Quip from England - From Financial Tycoon Leon Black to Jones Day Lawyer Mickey Pohl and More

Students of literature (before the English major went into decline) will recall how the Brits owned the territory of the quip. Actually it was (and is) an art - intellectualism wrapped in wit. 

Essentially Oscar Wilde perfected that genre which shook up the gravitas crowd. Among his iconic is "When I was young, I thought money was the most important thing in life, now that I am old, I know it is." 

However, even in populist America, which treasured anti-intellectualism, the genre eventually did catch on. Note that it differs from crass one-liners that ruin personal brands on social media. There is a grace about the quip and it embeds a sustainable truth. Also, only authentic intellectuals can pull it off. Rule out most late-night comics.

Although known most for his ability to create wealth for himself and investors Leon Black is also in the front lines of high culture. His quips are featured on the internet. My favorite is "Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy." I welcome his transmitting to me quips about owning the painting "The Scream." Does an owner have nightmares about intruders? Black, put your best quip thinking into that. 

I first heard of Jones Day lawyer Mickey Pohl's quips when I had engaged in fundraising for my alma mater. At the time he was chairing the university's board of directors. 

Well,  I experienced Pohl's quips in-person when I wore my journalist cap and covered courtroom action in which he defended clients such as Sherwin-Williams. As he chattered with us members of the media he gave us a short tutorial on how Jones Day approached law. Essentially the quip took the form of "The company won the case, then went out of business." The lesson was that the legal situation had to be managed within the larger context of the business. 

Another Pohl gem is for college students to prepare for a career in law not by joining the debating society but to get to understand human nature. That is by working part-time as a waiter. I guess large tips would signal that they has mastered that lesson.

Currently on LinkedIn Howard Daniel has taken ownership of the quipster role. His daily column Pen-for-Rent makes gentle fun of those organizations and people which/who, well, try so hard but miss the mark in communications. A recent example is the real-life notice posted next to an actual broken escalator: "This escalator is refusing to escalate" - with more wordy explanation added on. 

Today on Abovethelaw editor Joe Patrice headlines an article in the technology section on  generative AI with quip:

"Is That A Professional-Grade, Legal GenAI Assistant In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?"

One metric for assessing a team you may or may not want to join is how much quipping takes place. If the group is devoid of humor that has a high intellectual quality you might want to pass on the opportunity. One client for my coaching practice decided to not join a firm in which both the CEO and rank and file let out (loud) sighs. He decided to open his own shop - and think funny, when needed. 

Limiting beliefs? Self-defeating? Stuck? Complimentary consultation with Coach Jane Genova (text/phone 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com)