In recent posts,
I’ve talked about ways to build collaboration, identify expectations for
meetings, how to allow for time in your daily calendars to think, and how to discuss
challenges and develop solutions human to
human. If you are one of my regular readers, you’re developing a good kit
of practical business tools and tips to help you grow your business attributes
as a leader with the foundation to build a successful team.
One of
your most valuable tools is communication. I find it ironic that one of the
reasons people live by their cellphones is to be available anywhere, at anytime
to take a call and yet, people tend to do anything possible to avoid picking up
the phone.
One of the most important business tips I can give is to “pick up the phone” and call the person or
client.
The
trouble with this fast-paced, technology-revolutionized modern world we live in
is that we are all trying to find ways to be more efficient and save time, but
we are all inundated with communication.
I’d like to suggest that instead of sending so many emails and texts, practice
making a phone call (or meeting someone in person).
More and
more studies in business reports and journals show that the key to being more
efficient in your day-to-day operations is to pick up the phone and call. With so much electronic noise, no one is
taking the time necessary to read through a chain of emails and synthesize what
is really being discussed.
When trying to schedule a meeting, people will spend hours going
back and forth to secure a date and time. Why not just pick up the phone to
call the person, compare calendars and schedule a time to meet—which generally
takes around five minutes? With that, you have an opportunity to interact in
conversation with the person and ask them about their day. (Remember how great that
feels, fellow human?)
I listened to an interview recently with a notable doctor of psychology who has spent the
last decade researching the rapid growth of depression and anxiety in our
culture. He found that, as humans, our
number one necessity is the need for interaction with others. He asked this
question: If you had a problem, how many
people in your immediate circle of business colleagues or friends could you
talk to? Several years ago, the majority of subjects could easily list three to four
people. Today, the overwhelming response was zero among the people in the
study!
In a recent team
meeting, we were discussing the workflow of a project—schedules and
deadlines with the various departments involved—in order to achieve successful completion
and implementation. I asked if all the
department leaders and team members had been contacted, via a one-on-one meeting
or phone call regarding the final schedule. Immediately, the response I heard
was, “Yes, they were included on the email chain, so they should have read the
plan.”
I then
asked the lead of this project if they had actually contacted the other
department leaders to verify that they had read the email and were prepared to
implement the schedule for the project.
Silence took over the room, followed by a quiet “No.” No one had had a
direct person-to-person meet or talk with leaders from the other departments or
their team members!
I
suggested that we pick up the phone and call the other department leaders on the spot. Some were able to take our call during our meeting. We learned that they had looked at the email
but were waiting to hear form the leader of another group to discuss the next
steps forward to better prepare their schedules to meet the deadlines.
What a
great lesson for everyone. Issue solved. No unnecessary delays or
miscommunication. Direct
person-to-person communication can actually save time, improve communications and
allow everyone to take ownership of a SUCCESSFUL project.
Sharing in conversation and truly
listening builds a trusted and time-effective, collaborative environment for
both one’s internal and external clients.
· Pick up the phone and call.
· Leave a message if they are not
there.
· Make sure your message is specific about
why you are calling.
· Have a purpose for the call and be
mindful of their time and schedules.
· Be genuine in your conversation—talk
about other topics beside a work item or deadline.
Take the
time to pick up the phone. Too much gets lost in email translations.
