Ahhhh… the allure of email. With a few keystrokes we can set things in motion, communicate with many quickly and easily, move things off our “to do” lists by putting them on other’s “to do” lists. It’s easy. It’s fast. It can be done at any time, just about anywhere, and from about any electronic device.
Ohhhh… the email traps we fall into. We think we are perfectly clear and then the resulting action shows us we were not. We respond to words only – and miss the emotional tone of a message. We rationalize that more people copied means better communication – only to be bombarded by the strange twists and turns as people begin to “reply all”.
Augh… the angst we, as leaders, can cause with emails that should never have been sent. Damaged relationships. Time wasted on unproductive efforts. Email overload that is confusing at best and counter-productive at worst.
As a leader, you set the tone for communication in your area. What you do and say is modeled. An email from you carries more weight than those from peers. As such, your email etiquette and behavior can either help your team be more productive or totally trip them up.
Here are three types of emails that a leader should never send. And I do mean never!
1. Bad News
News that will elicit concern or negative emotions is always better delivered in person. This includes performance improvement feedback, customer complaints, and organizational realignments. Talk in person if possible. If not, call. Always deliver tough messages in person, where emotional tone can be discerned, questions can be asked and people feel valued as individuals.
2. Rants
It can be very tempting to fire off your emotional reaction to certain situations. Poor team performance. Upper management decisions you deem misguided. Customers, suppliers, regulators or other areas of the company that make your work difficult or your team look bad. Find other ways to vent; ways that do not create a permanent e-trail that can be misinterpreted, taken out of context, or forwarded on to others. Breathe. Take a walk. Write it on paper and throw it away. Then refer to #1 above.
3. Time Wasters
As the leader, you set the tone and others follow your lead. If you send one email of a cute puppy, you grant permission for others to send cute puppy emails, funny kitten emails, and who knows how many other time-wasters. If you gossip via email, multiply that by the number of people on your team.
Of course those are the obvious time wasters. There are many others to be aware of:
- Sending wordy and poorly organized emails. Without doubt, it takes more time for you to write a short, concise, and clear email. It’s not easy, but taking an additional 15 minutes to avoid sending a vague and sloppy email saves much more time for everyone that receives it.
- Sending an email without a clear direction. Is this for information only or do you expect action? If so, be clear about what action you’d like others to take, and set a clear due date.
- Copying more than 3 people on the CC line. When you find yourself copying a long list of individuals, ask yourself why? If you can’t articulate what they will do with the information in the email, chances are they will not be able to either.
One of the most important things you do as a leader is to communicate, and to communicate well. Your use of electronic communication is vital as so much communication is delivered this way. Avoiding these types of emails won’t make you a stellar communicator, but will help you avert obvious mistakes.
One Response
Great reminders. I read it saying, “of course” to each one – so I guess I might be pretty good at this. But then I got to “Copying more than 3 people on the CC line” and had to say to myself, Am I as much the cause of overflowing InBoxes as those who do likewise to me? Now I will think twice before I start piling on the cc’s. Thank you for the reminders.