Did Jim Cantore Start This Way?

It was The Kid's first winter in Ohio, a wake-up call after growing up in Miami. La Diva, his older, but not necessarily wiser, sister asked - halfway down the road from Fear to Consternation - "Say, what is this Level One snow emergency, anyway?"

The Kid, then as now, did not skip a beat in responding. "It means that there's not enough snow for sledding."

La Diva thinks that holiday caroling is an outdoor sport, so the issue was dropped.

But, upon reflection, The Kid was once again more right than wrong. Sure, the elderly and impaired ought not be driving through the snowflakes in a Level One situation. But, it takes a lot to turn a 12-year old Buick LeSabre into a toboggan.

We often face needs to explain complex and nuanced concepts in straightforward terms to help our leaders understand how tough the job of supply chain management really is. Don't worry about impressing the boss with your grasp of trifling detail. Give him or her the headline news in short, simple words, and get on with solving the problem at hand.

The boss will thank you, and your career will appreciate the support you get in easing the pain.