How To Avoid Committing Career Suicide With Email

It’s amazing to watch otherwise bright, hard working, conscientious people do such silly things with a keyboard. It reminders me of one of my neighbors who bought a brand new chain saw to take down a couple of dead tree limbs. Granted you can take limbs down with a chain saw, but you need to know how to use the tool. He got the chain caught up in a green twig while over-reaching and managed to cut a large gash in the back of his hand that took over 60 stitches to close. Thankfully, we live close to a trauma center with excellent surgeons and he has full use of the hand.

Clearly my neighbor should have followed the ABC’s of safety. Always Be Careful. My buddy should have used a tool he knew how to handle or should have received some instruction in how to properly use the chain saw.  Most important, he should have used the chainsaw in an appropriate fashion (it’s not a pruning shear).

Well, inappropriate use of email can make your career bleed. I recently witnessed someone get into an email exchange that turned into an ugly battle. Not only did the sender and the recipient of the email end up in a battle, but they also manged to draw in a line supervisor, 2 department managers and a division executive to settle the matter. It will be real difficult to stop this bleeding on this career wound. Please don’t let this happen to you. Here are a email few tips.

• Always be careful of your tone. In any form of communication, how you say something is often more important than what you say.

• Generally, do not send emails for subjects that require much more than a yes or no answer.

• Be careful of who you copy – many of us read and note the copied emails, even if we do not respond directly.

• Be aware of how the recipients handle email. For example I answer email twice a day, period.

• Be aware that it takes some amount of time for someone to read and respond to an email.

• If the response you receive requires you to follow-up, then get up and call or visit the individual for the clarification you need.

• Pause before you hit send,  if in doubt – don’t send it out.

Remember the career you save might be your own! So to ensure your personal success always be careful with email.  I guess this post actually qualifies as a rant. Till next time.

Wishing you a larger life
BB

Technorati Tags: Bernard M. Baruch, career success, tips for personal success