Sometimes it’s not just about consistency or grammar. Sometimes it’s as simple as consulting a map.

My memory is failing me on all the particular bits and pieces, other than the fact that I was asked to read an outgoing proposal for a notable client we were trying to land. We were a small group of people, so we needed to make an impression against the big boys.

In the proposal, the writer was naming off capitals of various UK and European nations: England has London, Spain has Madrid, Italy has Milan, Germany has Berlin… Wait a sec. Back up. Italy has Milan? Many a-year had passed since my 6th grade world geography test, but I was certain Milan was not anyone’s capital. Even before the days of Google, I was able to correct the mistake before it landed in the hands of a larger, important audience.