Are You a Professional Email Responder?
Goal: Discuss the value of answering most emails
Do you wake up with email being the first thing you check? Do you answer emails within 15 minutes of receiving them? Do you go to bed with email being the last thing you check? Do you check your email hundreds of times a day?
You may have a problem.
You have become a professional email respondent.
I had a boss send me an email at 3 a.m. Did he want me to respond at 3 a.m .or wait till 9 a.m.? I did not answer. Interestingly, a young men on our team answered the email.
Was he a suck ass?
I don’t know. I think he wanted to be like his boss. A professional email respondent.
I once sent my boss an email on Friday morning while he was on vacation. In less than 2 minutes he answered. I followed up my email with a reminder that he was on vacation and that my email could have waited till Monday.
There has to be more worthwhile work that could be done instead of responding to 80% of the emails we get. Maybe working on something that can move you along the trajectory towards finishing a project?
Progress towards goals should not be stopped to answer an email. Email has become a crutch for most professionals because they appear busy. They appear to be answering someone’s need.
Pleasing their boss?
In my career I have never been asked how many emails per day I answer. It has never been brought up during a performance review.
Maybe it is a self induced hell?
I have heard of people getting a few hundred emails per day. I am sure that those people view that as a badge of honor and importance.
Some emails deserve an answer. Maybe 20% of them hold valuable information and are asking valid questions. Unfortunately 80% are someone else’s agenda and take you away from your path toward progress.
Are you an addicted professional email responder?
Is email your crack?
Remember these wise words by Jodie Cook
“You’re not here to be a professional email responder, so don’t let it become an excuse for progress.”
I got to go…my future self alarm went off
Robert Trajkovski is professional with experience in leading people and projects in Steel/ Power, Refining, Chemicals, Industrial Gasses, Software, Consulting and Academia. He has worked for both owners and engineering companies. In addition, he has instructed 73+ courses at several institutions and often offers his courses for free on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberttrajkovski/
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