Confessions of an Email Guy

I like email.  I can do it any time, 24/7.  I never bother anyone, and no one bothers me with it because I can check email whenever I want.   I can delete it, save it, store it in a file, respond to it, or ignore it.  Usually I respond quickly because it’s so easy.  There, I’m done in 20 seconds or less.

My conclusion: I’m an email person, not a phone person.  I don’t like the phone.  I especially don’t like phone tag.  I don’t like long voice mail messages either.  Say it nicely, but please, say it in an economy of words.  The phone also gets in the way of my work.  I feel like I have to respond to it quickly.  I know I don’t, but I do.  The phone is also a big time waster.  We talk too much and too long.  We also socialize more than we should.  Do I sound like an old curmudgeon?

But we can also overload on email.  We try to solve too many thorny problems by email when we could get the job done in a few minutes with a short, face-to-face meeting or a brief phone call.  We also email people back and forth when we sit right next to them in an office.  Sometimes we take efficiency too far.

We can also appear quite terse with email and let our mood take a cheap shot at someone for no reason at all.  It’s very easy to be misinterpreted with email, which causes a blow-up that could otherwise have been avoided.

Some people say to keep emails extremely brief.  When I write, I like to express myself intelligently, even in email.  Some people don’t.  I find that their personality comes out in emails just like in one-on-one conversations or by phone.  Writing an email is on my time, not someone else’s.  That’s what I don’t like about the phone.  I have to share the time with someone else.

I also stopped using the old bcc.  It only takes one dumb mistake to realize the bcc person resent my message to the wrong party.  Embarrassing!

So there you have it: confessions of an email guy.  Choose your method: in person, via phone, or through email.  Whichever you choose, be nice, be professional, and be communicative.  That, alone, solves a lot of other problems.

Overseeing People

Some leaders and managers gauge status by the number of their direct reports.  More people, more power, becomes their mantra.  It’s a bad strategy, and it’s wrong.

You can only give full attention to a finite group of people.  Six to eight seems to be a correct and manageable range.  When you have more than this, problems inevitably occur because the time available to each dwindles significantly.  In addition, one or two people will tend to take more of your time than others.  High maintenance people just require more attention, and more time.

So limit your direct reports to a manageable number.  You’ll be happier, and so will they.  And you’ll get a lot more work done, and a lot better work done, as a result.

 
Here are a few Business & Life Tips to think about…..

Business Tips:

• If you regard your leadership as a powerful position as opposed to a responsible one, you are headed for collapse.
• Most small businesses fail because owners do little to build their market, sell their vision, and create adequate structure.
• The relationship you have with your clients is the most important continuing aspect of your business.

Life Tips:

• This holiday season, consider spending more time reflecting on life and expressing gratitude for the things we tend to take for granted.
• Planning is hard work, which is why most people don’t do it. But it is the one thing you can do to be prepared for the unexpected.
• Ultimately, enjoying what you do for a living, and being able to earn a good living from it, is a true blessing.

Tags: Advice, Business, Business Development, Business Tips, Crisis Management, Customer Service, Knowledge, Leadership Excellence, Leadership Problems, Leadership Skills, Learning, Life Tips, People, People Leaders, Power, Relationships, Reputation, Sales, Strategy, Success, The Mind of a Leader, Time