How many emails do you receive per day?" asked a leading regional chief executive officer. As I started calculating the number, it led me to wonder, "What is the impact of email on how people lead?"
Email has definitely changed the way we work. It appears to have become a core business activity as executives regularly speak of going to do "email" as if it is the critical action.
Whenever I hear that I pause and wonder what leaders mean by this. Do they mean, "empty" their inbox? Or fill up someone else's?
Nevertheless in reality business life has accepted the task of "email" and allowed it to replace the essence of management — communicating, assigning work, providing accountability and developing people.
It sees that email has ushered in a new management style — so out with MBWA (management by walking around) and in with MBEA (management by emailing around).
While email is supposed to bring about efficiency, it has created a danger. We used to manage face-to-face; in that environment we knew our employees much better than we do in this email era.
It may be speedy to pop off a couple of words rather than pick up the phone or go see someone. But it is dangerous. So why is the addictive luxury of managing by email dangerous? (By the way, these are all confessions from a BlackBerry addict!)
Breaking the rhythm
Email breaks rhythm — no longer is the leader and/or his/her diary in charge of the rhythm of business.
Now the inbox is in charge, as most leaders keep one eye on their inbox or the little blinking light on the BlackBerry.
When the "you've got mail" indicator illuminates, the temptation and potential expectation is to respond. The speed of the inbox filling up and the desire to be prompt and keep the message count to a minimum has become a vicious game like "the dog chasing his tail". I wonder what started that off in the first place — the desire to respond in a timely fashion or have a clean inbox?
Email alters moods — many times when pressing send, leaders forget about the emotion of work and the distraction an email can bring to a motivated worker. While unintentionally hiding behind the keyboard, leaders type words in ways they would never speak over a phone or face-to-face — whether it is one word answers, bullet points, or contentious phrases. Remember before you press send, the impact the email will have on the motivation of your employees.
Email creates confusion — email is like any other form of communication and should focus on making the message clear for the receiver. When a leader looks in a computer screen, he/she sees a reflection that is his/her own, often representing the thoughts of the sender. This reiterates the need to see the other person and envision you are speaking with him/her face-to-face. What would you say if you were face-to-face?
Guessing game
Email leaves employees guessing — there is no doubt that leaders intend to be clear and that the message they are communicating is clear in their head — but somewhere between pressing send and the message opening in the inbox it often gets stripped off its context and the meaning becomes inconspicuous.
I am curious to know how clear the majority of emails that employees read are. Does email aid productivity? Yes, as we work in real time and people need timely responses, advice, and answers, leaders do need to be responsive. But when relied on as a management style or primary communication tool it can be very dangerous.
Open and honest two-way communication is one of the top drivers of employee engagement. Perhaps it is time we set down our BlackBerries and walk away from the keyboard and go inspire someone.
- The writer is Vice-President of Leadership Solutions at Kenexa.
