“And Beyond”—How Does That Help?
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- On October 20, 2020
Senior-level women—tough, tested, ambitious leaders—are being pushed to their limits and beyond.
That’s what Sheryl Sandberg wrote in a cautionary editorial about the number of women leaving the workforce or taking less stressful jobs because of the pandemic. Sandberg’s concern is legitimate, but I paused at and beyond. Why not simply say they’re being pushed to their limits? That stands on its own. Pushed beyond their limits would work too.
And beyond is so vague. It doesn’t give the reader any useful information. It doesn’t make the thought more important. And beyond just makes me want to ask, “Where?”
Consider two more examples:
- We’re an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer career and leadership questions.
- Join top healthcare executives to get solutions that drive real change in the workplace and beyond.
My advice? Unless you can replace and beyond with something specific, ditch it altogether.
