Since it's obvious that people who *desperately* need to improve their e-mail etiquette have no intention whatsoever of reading the scores of articles readily available both online and in print regarding the topic, I shall proceed with my vent as follows, with names not included to protect the identity of the perps:
Item 1: Hysterical Use of the Urgent Marker
Have the aliens landed? Am I about to get fired? Will we lose our client if I don't respond to your e-mail *right*damn*now*? Are human lives hanging in the balance? Does this issue matter in the least to anyone in the universe except you? If the answer to these questions is "no", then lay off the exclamation point, for the love of God. Yes, I understand that the problem is important and urgent to you. Please understand that currently, I am dealing with several other important and urgent items, and the fact that you want to share your frustration with your inability to reach another party is NOT URGENT. Look, the longest you've ever had to wait to hear back from me, even if it's "hold the fort, the cavalry is coming" is roughly 15 minutes, and that was when I was eating lunch. Please, calm down. I'm very suggestible and you are making me twitchy.
Item 2: Answering One Part of a Two-Part Question
After I took the time to analyze the situation, determine the proper course of action, and request two stinking details, it would be really super sweet of you to actually read the whole three sentences of my e-mail. You see, I've asked for information and now I have to ask again, and wait for you to respond. This is irritating to me, as I loathe repeating the same task. Repeating the same information is no problem at all, but this is just rude.
Item 3: Total Disregard of Time Zones
Here's a news flash: in the United States ALONE, there are actually four separate time zones! They are divided based on geography, and as such, those who reside in other parts of the United States may be operating on a different time zone. As an interesting compare and contrast, when you send me an URGENT e-mail at 7 a.m. EST, it is 6 a.m. in my world, and 4 a.m. for the person you carbon copied. Here's an idea: pick up that item with buttons on it, push in the numbers of my cell phone, and hold it to your ear. It's called a phone, and back before humans started losing their ability to speak, it was how we communicated actually urgent problems. This skill may come in handy for you, as I don't think there is yet an e-mail address for 911. We can't hear your exclamation point, no matter how loudly you type.
I think that about covers it for this episode - there's a baked potato with my name on it and I'm sure that my fair readers will think I'm simmering with bile. Thank you for allowing me to vent, and please remember that a baked potato for me is ALWAYS worthy of an exclamation point.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Shape of Things to Come
Things I Have Been Doing Lately Instead of Posting on my Blog:
- Keeping a secret (see #2)
- Learning my new job (yay!!!!)
- Taking a weekend trip to Dallas
- Laundry
- Bringing home a kitten
- Watching Season 3 of BSG (thank you, Brian!)
- Cleaning up the kitchen
- Suffering from seasonal allergies
- Trying to win the lottery
- Most important - stepping away from the computer and spending time with Dave and Three Year Old :-)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Multitasking vs. Prioritizing
I dislike the term "multitasking". Anyone can say they multitask - by virtue of the fact that a human can breathe, digest, and walk at the same time, we're all multitaskers. In reviewing resumes, recruiters look for content - specific information that gives some kind of inkling as to how the job candidate spends his or her days. Then we use a term like "multitasking" to describe the position we are advertising.
A few years ago, a study came out stating the human brain isn't meant to multitask in the way the term is commonly defined. We are supposed to focus on one concept, then another, not two or more simultaneously. Personally, I think it's an evolutionary step - our environment and our jobs require that we filter out extraneous noise, evaluate and accept or reject incoming data while simultaneously completing tasks. We're bombarded with information, and at some point we had to learn how to take it in without allowing it to consume the focus of our thoughts.
From my view, a better way to find out if a person has the ability to successfully manage incoming data, noise pollution, and the tasks of the job is to focus on the ability to prioritize and change focus quickly. A question from a manager may not be more important than the task at hand, however it has a higher priority and must be addressed as expeditiously as possible. A good interview question to learn about this ability might be "Tell me about a time when you were working on an important project with a tight deadline, and your manager asked you to answer a question. What did you do?" For an entry-level candidate, the best answer is "I asked my manager for direction as to which was higher priority, the question or my project". A mid-career worker would probably say "I answered the question and returned to my project, and met the deadline". A high-level employee might respond "I delegated the question to a member of my staff who had the data readily available, and followed up with my manager to make sure the information was delivered." These are all the right answer, and appropriate responses.
Sadly, the need for prioritizing is simply lost on some people. In terms of skills, this is a trainable area of focus for those of us who mentor, supervise, or coach. For some people, this is an innate ability - they know that you don't open your e-mail based on order of receipt, but instead on order of importance. (I'll save my diatribe regarding non-urgent items marked as urgent for another day - but that's coming, too). There are many books and articles available with great suggestions for learning to prioritize.
From my perspective, here is the best question to ask when trying to decide which item is most important - who do you LEAST want calling your boss to follow up? There's the first priority of the day.
A few years ago, a study came out stating the human brain isn't meant to multitask in the way the term is commonly defined. We are supposed to focus on one concept, then another, not two or more simultaneously. Personally, I think it's an evolutionary step - our environment and our jobs require that we filter out extraneous noise, evaluate and accept or reject incoming data while simultaneously completing tasks. We're bombarded with information, and at some point we had to learn how to take it in without allowing it to consume the focus of our thoughts.
From my view, a better way to find out if a person has the ability to successfully manage incoming data, noise pollution, and the tasks of the job is to focus on the ability to prioritize and change focus quickly. A question from a manager may not be more important than the task at hand, however it has a higher priority and must be addressed as expeditiously as possible. A good interview question to learn about this ability might be "Tell me about a time when you were working on an important project with a tight deadline, and your manager asked you to answer a question. What did you do?" For an entry-level candidate, the best answer is "I asked my manager for direction as to which was higher priority, the question or my project". A mid-career worker would probably say "I answered the question and returned to my project, and met the deadline". A high-level employee might respond "I delegated the question to a member of my staff who had the data readily available, and followed up with my manager to make sure the information was delivered." These are all the right answer, and appropriate responses.
Sadly, the need for prioritizing is simply lost on some people. In terms of skills, this is a trainable area of focus for those of us who mentor, supervise, or coach. For some people, this is an innate ability - they know that you don't open your e-mail based on order of receipt, but instead on order of importance. (I'll save my diatribe regarding non-urgent items marked as urgent for another day - but that's coming, too). There are many books and articles available with great suggestions for learning to prioritize.
From my perspective, here is the best question to ask when trying to decide which item is most important - who do you LEAST want calling your boss to follow up? There's the first priority of the day.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Why Mess with a Good Title
I am far too lazy to set up an entirely new blog. Besides, I have about 83165841 logins and passwords taking up valuable real estate in my brain. So, the song remains the same.
Today I will share a little nugget from HR Land, where the roads are paved with checklists and we love process outlines. Twice in the last week, I've had the distinct pleasure of fielding questions regarding candidates who decided that "f**k" is an appropriate word to use when communicating to a recruiter the sense of loss felt upon learning that they would not be moving forward in the interview process. To clarify, I am not referring to the sideways "f**k" that slips out during conversation, I'm talking about the written "f**k", the "f**k" that took time, fingers, and a mouse click on another 4 letter word, "send" to deliver unto the recipient's inbox. Please don't misunderstand, those who have had the distinct displeasure of speaking with me when I have reached my saturation level of frustration know that if swearing were an olympic event, I'd do my country proud. We're all our own marketing and sales department when it comes to looking for a new job - I guess some people aren't meeting their quota this week.
Today I will share a little nugget from HR Land, where the roads are paved with checklists and we love process outlines. Twice in the last week, I've had the distinct pleasure of fielding questions regarding candidates who decided that "f**k" is an appropriate word to use when communicating to a recruiter the sense of loss felt upon learning that they would not be moving forward in the interview process. To clarify, I am not referring to the sideways "f**k" that slips out during conversation, I'm talking about the written "f**k", the "f**k" that took time, fingers, and a mouse click on another 4 letter word, "send" to deliver unto the recipient's inbox. Please don't misunderstand, those who have had the distinct displeasure of speaking with me when I have reached my saturation level of frustration know that if swearing were an olympic event, I'd do my country proud. We're all our own marketing and sales department when it comes to looking for a new job - I guess some people aren't meeting their quota this week.
Changing My Focus
After a discussion the regarding the merits and lack thereof related to blogging, I've decided to change my focus. I think the best path is going to be discussion related to my field, to give my blog some direction and focus. So, I'm working on the new model and I'll update this one with the new address as soon as it's up and running.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Lost and Found
I have found new glory in wearing glasses, since I got these. I picked burgundy. Thank you, vision insurance.
I have lost my patience completely. Please let me know if you find it.
I have lost my patience completely. Please let me know if you find it.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Joys of You Tube
I think this is funny. Europe was awesome. In a way that is not awesome. As in I don't feel the need to revisit their music. But this is pretty good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
