Our Blog

 

Ok, I’m going to take a slight detour from my usual observations on marketing, PR, social media, etc. to rant share a few observations about business interaction these days.

 

I’ll preface my remarks by noting that I’m not always the sunshine-iest guy out there.  I spent years as a litigation attorney.  On the East Coast…where naming relatives as defendants in a civil lawsuit is one of the best ways to stay in touch.  I spent time as a claims specialist for an HMO.  Also on the East Coast.  Handling Medicare claims.  For seniors.  Many of whom lived on Staten Island.  

 

Did I mention that I was proudly involved with a fraternity in college?

 

So, although I don’t usually pull the wings off of hummingbirds for fun, and I don’t always spend my summers clubbing baby seals in the wilds of Alaska, I do have a certain…um, edge about me at times.

 

But I am pleased to say that I was raised to demonstrate some grasp of manners and courtesy.  “Please.”  “Thank you.”  Return phone calls.  Make a reasonable attempt to show up on time.  For all my parents know, I’m a serial killer.  But I’m a damn polite one.

 

I will also preface my diatribe observations by noting that, more than ever before, American business people are busy.  Very busy.  Doing-three-jobs-at-once busy.  Busy while the Crackberry blinks, the e-mails stream in, and instant messenger alerts us that we have an e-mail about a Tweet notifying us about a new message on LinkedIn. Probably from someone who wants us to call him or her back.

 

So I get that we’re a little short.  I get that we’re all a little harried.  I get that we need, sometimes, to do a little triage when it comes to which 5,000 tasks we’re going to jam into today.

 

But why is it, when we interview (in person) a job candidate for a position with our company, we can’t even send him or her an e-mail—a form e-mail even—if he/she doesn’t get the job?

 

Why is it that, if we get an invitation to speak at a conference or do an interview for a newspaper or trade publication (not a solicitation or advertisement, but a real invitation), we can’t even have an admin send an e-mail in response?

 

Why is it that, if we have an executive designation, it’s suddenly ok to enter meetings late without so much as a curt “sorry I’m late?”

 

Why is disagreement always construed as conflict?  Do we need that badly to be homogenous in our perspective, or are we that terrified of the prospect we might occasionally be wrong?

 

Why is it that we whimper about a lack of staff or employee loyalty when we want extra effort, but resort to the soulless “it’s just business” when the time comes to “cut heads?” 

 

With 473 different ways to send a message, why is it that we can’t return or even acknowledge phone calls from business colleagues (not talking about solicitors or sales people here)?  Even if it’s to say “Sorry… Busy… Call next week.”

 

Look, I know there are valid reasons these fairly minor transgressions happen.  But they’re routine, and widespread.  And I’m quite confident that, excepting the rare instance, there’s usually no malicious intent when these, and thousands of similar slights, happen.

 

But the communication—or lack thereof—screams “I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOU UNTIL I NEED SOMETHING FROM YOU.  YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO MERIT TWO WORDS OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM ME.” 

 

We’re losing our civility.  Our absurd time constraints are slowly morphing into passive hostility, whether we know it or not.   At a time when we all need to be a little more human, we’re going in the opposite direction.  We’re building a nifty little wall of technology that seals us into our P/Ls and daily agendas without having to deal with the messy clutter of human interaction, with all of its disappointment, misunderstanding, conflict and heartbreak.  Guess what folks?  That stuff doesn’t go away.  And although you may not see it immediately, it does return at some point. 

 

So, just for a day, try to call someone you’d prefer to hide from behind an e-mail.  Practice your communication skills.  Find out how the security guard’s day is really going.  Accept a request for a cup of coffee with a recently unemployed colleague.  Have a conversation that doesn’t involve the use of your thumbs. You may just find that it pays off in the long run.