- RT@emmccann Great use case! Community Foundation of Greenville manages its grant application process using #QuickBase. http://t.co/GoX0uAum
Email Isn’t a Substitute for Face Time
Not enough communication is one of the biggest complaints of most people in just about any organization. We’re all so busy these days staying focused on getting the work done that it’s often tough to remember we work with real live people who need communication on a regular basis.
As a leader, communication should be the number one item on your list. You cannot lead a team or grow a successful company without it. And I’m not talking about just sending an email. Sending an email is not communicating. It’s broadcasting your message to a group of people.
Communicating is sending out your message and confirming that it was heard. Sadly, it doesn’t happen much these days.
Google had it right when they defined a key manager behavior as communicating and being a good listener. We mostly use our techno tools to spew messages out at the speed of light — a few text messages here, a bunch of emails there, a powerpoint or two — and voila! we quickly rub our hands together and say, “Whew! This communication stuff is tough.”
What in the world did we do before we had technology?
We met face-to-face. And that’s exactly what you should do. At least once a month, sit down with your team and talk. If you can’t talk face-to-face or arrange for travel, have a video conference. Supplement that communication with emails, texts and powerpoints. But never replace it. Try it to see how well it works. It will gain you more leverage and respect with your team over the long term. It will make you a better leader too.
What do you think? Do you have face-to-face meetings or are you and your team satisfied using technology for all communication? Please leave a comment.
About Denise O'Berry
Denise O’Berry — aka the Team Doc — has been working with teams and team leadership in the public, non profit and private sectors for over twenty years. Follow her @askteamdoc.
Related Articles
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http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/05/05/kyles-near-zero-inbox-recipe/
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http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/07/29/get-ahead-by-doing-the-little-big-things/
Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. She's also the co-author of Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Leader's Guide to Getting Results and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.
Alexandra Levit’s goal is to help people find meaningful jobs - quickly and simply - and to succeed beyond measure once they get there. Follow her @alevit.
Anita Bruzzese is a syndicated columnist for Gannett/USA Today on workplace issues and the author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy.” She has been on the Today show, and quoted in publications such as O, The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, Self.com and BusinessWeek.com. Her website, 45things.com, is listed on the Forbes top 100 websites for women.
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That’s great
deniseoberry Reply:
May 9th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about the topic Alex. Using technology is way too easy and we lose a lot in the connection when we skip the face-to-face interaction.
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