Like most who lead in my area of senior management training and development, I have yet to be convinced that magic bullets to game-change productivity or organisational culture exist.
Hard work and a disciplined approach to the acquisition of skill are key here, but sometimes simple ideas trigger a “what if?” conversation.
At a recent seminar attendees started to share ideas about how to limit email traffic.
I thought you might like to hear some of the ideas:
- Reply to only those that can be understood at first pass
- Delete all cc and set up a trash filter for bcc
- Ignore all that do not require action
- After returning from holiday select all the unread and press ‘delete’ – the thinking being that the important will re-emerge in another form
This one caught my attention.
- Don’t ‘send’ any emails that people can reply to
I know the perpetrator of this idea and his philosophy is simple:
“Call the person on the phone, walk across the office and talk the issue over. If these are not possible, Skype them at home or arrange to talk another time. If time zones are an issue, get up early and make the call.”
Make it clear that you don’t send email and prefer to have a live discussion.
The result? He estimated that at least an hour a day was saved by not working on his inbox.
In addition issues were rapidly dealt with and potentially disruptive details managed before they became big issues – more time saved.
Relationships were built more quickly and misunderstandings reduced.
A simple tactic for boosting productivity and the growth of an effective and open culture of communication.
But could it possibly be implemented ?
