|
E-mail BluesAsk any group of executives or other professionals what their biggest headache is these days, and “managing my email” comes
out at or near the top. What began as the internet’s “killer app” is killing us all by its sheer volume and out-of-control junk email. Maybe Congress will save us from spam (well, we can hope, can’t we?) but even if a new law can be enforced, we’ll still be drowning in the stuff. The University of California at Berkeley did a study that shows that last year alone, five billion gigabytes of email data were created
globally, enough new e-mail to fill 500,000 Libraries of Congress. That works out to about 800 megabytes a person, or the equivalent of a stack of books 30 feet high, according to the study. No wonder we’re overwhelmed! Email is taking up more and more of our time, and we don’t seem to be able to enjoy the enormous benefits of this quick and convenient way of sending information without getting bogged down
in it. A third of respondents in a recent survey said that 51 to 75% of their e-mail is unnecessary and almost half said that up to half of the e-mail they receive is unnecessary. In addition, almost two-thirds delete e-mails without reading them. Yet few of us would voluntarily shut our email off, and businesses continue to value its utility over any drag on productivity. A growing number of businesses are deciding to provide corporate e-mail to
all employees, no matter whether they're on the shop floor, in stores or working on airplanes, because it's a better, cheaper way to communicate with them. One market analyst says that there’s a huge population of workers that still don’t have e-mail, perhaps 45% of corporate employees worldwide. No question, it’s here to stay. You don’t have to be a hostage to your computer inbox, though. Simply shift your stand from passive victim to active manager.
There’s plenty you can do to control your email flow, starting with establishing some rules for your own workgroup and communicating your own preferences to your colleagues. For example, you can agree to use email only when it’s the most efficient channel of communication for the need, or never to use it as a substitute for a face-to-face meeting. Another good practice is to be as clear and specific as possible in the title, so recipients
can scan quickly for importance. Outlaw chain emails and jokes (hard to believe anyone does that anymore, but they do…) And don’t send copies to people who really don’t need them. If you have so far resisted learning how to use your email program’s sorting and organizing functions, you’re really missing out on a powerful email management tool. For example, if you subscribe to various email lists and newsletters, you can set up
folders and direct emails to the appropriate folder as they arrive, so they don’t clutter up your inbox and you can browse through them at your convenience. You can do the same thing with emails from regular correspondents, as long as you remember to check the folders often enough. Email aficionados disagree as to whether you should check and sort your email once or only a few times a day, or whether it’s ultimately more efficient to process them as they arrive. Either
way, treat your email inbox as you would a paper inbox and strive to handle each item only once, deciding whether to delete it, file it, or put it on your task list. Speed things up by making a pass through to delete all the junk mail before you sort the day’s take. Or if you’re lucky enough to have an assistant, he or she can screen your email and even reply to those requiring only a quick answer. By the way, my own favorite method of handling email comes from
David Allen, the personal productivity guru and author of Getting Things Done. Managing your email, like everything else you do, is ultimately a matter of managing your priorities. You can choose to see it as a source of stress, or you can take charge and make the technology work for you. 
When all else fails, might as well lighten up and have a good laugh. Click here to listen to the “Email Blues,” written and performed by a wonderfully inventive group of blues musicians and organization development consultants, Face the Music. I had a terrific time working with them recently at the annual
reunion of Georgetown University leadership coaching program alumni. You’ll need Real One Player to listen to the “Email Blues”.
If you don’t have Real Player, download now. |
|
Only 9% of the senior executives surveyed by the Conference Board say that succession planning is a top priority; 27% say it will be in five years. Similarly, only 23.8% of companies say that developing leaders is currently a top priority; 30.5% say it will be in five years.
According to two recent studies conducted by AARP and the New York Times, nearly 60% of workers 50 and older plan to find a new job after retiring from their present position, with 45% saying they plan to work into their 70s or even later. Politicians, businessmen and labor leaders frequently blame China for the exodus of jobs from the US in recent years. A new study finds that between 1995 and 2002 roughly 22 million jobs were lost
globally, a decline of 11%. Two million U.S. manufacturing jobs were lost in that period, matching the 11% drop. Meanwhile, China's manufacturing employment fell 15% during that time. 
Karoshi The Japanese word for people working themselves literally to
death. You might think this is purely an artifact of Japanese culture, but the most recent data shows that Japanese workers put in no more time on the job than do Americans. 
 Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, by William Bridges. What I like about it: This book is an old favorite that really stands the test of time, and I’m re-reading it along with a coaching client. Not only does it help you understand the human dynamics of organizational change
– which if anything has only accelerated since the book first appeared in 1991 – but it also is filled with practical tips on navigating the shoals.
Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates  There's No Such Thing As "Business"
Ethics: There's Only One Rule For Making Decisions, by John C. Maxwell. This past August, I got an email from a fellow coach and former student in the Georgetown Leadership Coaching program recommending this book and offering to write a “What I’m Reading” item. Michael Holder never had the chance to write that piece; he passed away on October 25. If Michael said the book was good, then I know it was good. You may also wish to
honor Michael’s life and work as his family has requested with a memorial donation in his name to The Laryngectomee Club of Montgomery County or The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.
Share what you’re into — books, articles, movies, music, websites — with others on the list! Send us
the title and author or other pertinent information, along with a sentence or two on what you like about it, and if we use it in A Different Optic we’ll not only quote you, we’ll provide a link to you or your website. |
|
“In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”
— Eric Hoffer | |
Do you know someone else who might be interested in reading this? Send it to them now by clicking here.
If you wish to subscribe to
A Different Optic
, please click here to send an email request or visit the newsletter section of our website.
With this issue, as suggested by the readers who responded to our survey, A Different Optic begins a new feature, “Practice Makes Perfect”. Each month we’ll feature a new practice you can use to tune up your leadership skills. An article on resilience by Beth Bloomfield appeared in the October 2003 issue of Executive Summary, the newsletter of the Federal Executive
Institute Alumni Association. Beth and other members of the Eastport Business Association manned the helium balloon table at the sixth annual charity Tug-of-War across Spa Creek between Eastport and Annapolis on Nov. 8. To learn more about this friendly local rivalry, otherwise known as the “Slaughter
Across the Water”, visit The Maritime Republic of Eastport. | | |
|
| |
