Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

As a leader a time will come when you have to write an email, memo or letter to address an issue of great importance or concern to you. Or, perhaps in response to something that displeased you, disappointed you, frustrated you, or upset you. Write that document. Then, let it sit. Preferably, let it sit for 24 hours. Then, re-read it. It's almost guaranteed you'll end up tweaking the document. You might add a fact that you accidentally omitted in the heat of the moment the day before. Or, more likely, you'll alter the tone so it will achieve a better response from the document's recipient. You may even decide not to send the document at all, and instead will discuss the matter in person or over the phone with the intended recipient. Usually, time and circumstances permit you to let your document sit for a day. And when your document sits for a day, you'll end up ultimately crafting a better message.

As the season of spring vacations continues throughout the U.S, communication expert, David Grossman, encourages you to take his pledge for an email-free vacation.  When you take the pledge you'll also learn from David his recommended  Eight Great Steps to Unplug & Recharge . David has found that a growing number of his clients are looking for new ways to address mounting email overload in their workplaces. Many of them worry about the impact of growing email volume on productivity and their efforts to build a healthy work-life balance. In short, many workers feel they can never turn off email, at work or during their precious vacation time. "Vacation is typically a time set aside to relax and recharge, but few people are able to do so because they’re tethered to their work email," explains David. "In fact, a ccording to recent research,   42%   of employees feel obligated to check their email during vacation and   one in ten   check ...

To help your organization, here are some simple rules for  emailing  from  C. Elliott Haverlack's  new book,  Unbundle It : Never send an email when you are angry. Never address a sensitive or emotionally charged topic via email. Eliminate the use of return receipts. Mandate that "Reply All" emails are not allowed. Eliminate one word emails. Be cognizant of string or multiple message emails. Ensure emails requiring a response are addressed promptly. Do not expect answers on emails from carbon copy recipients.

Author  Joseph McCormack  offers these six tips for ways of making your written communication shorter and more appealing : Deliver a strong title or subject line that's your invitation. Limit your email to the original window. Make sure there is white space and balance throughout the text. Call out key ideas by calling them out in bold type. Start each bullet point with a strong word or catchy phrase. Trim the fluff -- anything that's unnecessary, leaving a consumable and concise size communication You can learn more helpful tips in his new book,  Brief:  Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less .

To help your organization, here are some simple rules for emailing from C. Elliott Haverlack's new book, Unbundle It : Never send an email when you are angry. Never address a sensitive or emotionally charged topic via email. Eliminate the use of return receipts. Mandate that "Reply All" emails are not allowed. Eliminate one word emails. Be cognizant of string or multiple message emails. Ensure emails requiring a response are addressed promptly. Do not expect answers on emails from carbon copy recipients.

Can't quite master the ideal tone for the emails you send employees and customers?  Or, do you have employees whole struggle with the tone of their emails?  You might want to check out ToneCheck . ToneCheck , a software program that works with Microsoft Outlook 2003, 2007 and 2010, helps to ensure your tone is clearly communicated and understood. It acts somewhat similar to an email spell checker, and you can select the suggested alternatives or ignore the advice. The program evaluates words and phrases for the intensity of eight primary emotions, allowing you to adjust the overall tone before you send your message. ToneCheck scans your messages for terms that may be inadvertently conveying: • Affection • Friendliness • Amusement • Excitement • Sadness • Grief • Fear • Uneasiness • Anger • Shame Over 165 billion email messages are sent worldwide each day. The average worker will spend 10 years of their work life dealing with email. And, sometimes, perhaps a...

Are you leading an organization where e-mail communication is ineffective? Here are some wise guidelines that Verizon Wireless has used to promote effective, efficient and responsible e-mail use within its company.  You can find these guidelines in the new book, Managers, Can You Hear Me Now? , written by Denny F. Strigl, former CEO and President of Verizon Wireless. E-mail should bring closure to work , not create more work. Before you write an e-mail, ask yourself if calling or visiting the recipient will bring better communication . Keep e-mails short .  Make your point in just the subject line or the space in the preview pane. Don't assume other people are staring at their screens, waiting for your e-mail . If just one person needs information or clarification, don't send your e-mail to a group. Never send e-mail when you're angry . Assume anything you put in writing will be leaked to the press or to your competitors. Stay accountable.  Sending an e-m...

I depend on communications expert David Grossman of Your Thought Partner for continuing guidance on how to most effectively communicate in the workplace.  So, you can imagine how excited I was to learn David has released another one of his free eBooks -- this one called, Tips, Tactics & Strategies For Your Leadership Toolbox . The eBook includes the most popular posts from his three-year-old blog , and typical David, he provides specific guidance on exactly what to do and how to do it .  Clear, concise, use-it-today information. You'll find tips, tactics and strategies for : Communicating your strategy Engaging employees with open-ended questions Using a journalist's 5 Ws and an H approach to communicating Understanding the difference between information and communication Knowing how not to let how you say something trump what you say Listening -- really listening Keeping your teams strong Engaging your non-wired employees Effectively using email...

Are you leading an organization where e-mail communication is ineffective? Here are some wise guidelines that Verizon Wireless has used to promote effective, efficient and responsible e-mail use within its company. You can find these guidelines in the book, Managers, Can You Hear Me Now? , written by Denny F. Strigl, former CEO and President of Verizon Wireless. E-mail should bring closure to work , not create more work. Before you write an e-mail, ask yourself if calling or visiting the recipient will bring better communication . Keep e-mails short . Make your point in just the subject line or the space in the preview pane. Don't assume other people are staring at their screens, waiting for your e-mail . If just one person needs information or clarification, don't send your e-mail to a group. Never send e-mail when you're angry . Assume anything you put in writing will be leaked to the press or to your competitors. Stay accountable. Sending an e-mail do...

Here are three helpful leadership tips from author Neil Smith -- from his new book, co-authored with Patricia O'Connell, How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things : People say they cannot find the time to do things, yet they always find the time to fix things when they break.  Companies need to create that sense of urgency before a problem occurs. People will embrace change if they see the logic behind it.  If they feel they have control over its onset and evolution.  If they see it as nonthreatening and self-esteem enhancing.  And, if the change has the possibility of future benefits to them. Make sure that people are basing their decisions on facts -- fact-based information should be a company mantra.  Do not accept "I guess" or "I think so."

Internal communication expert and consultant David Grossman of The Grossman Group recently told NBC Nightly News that workplace email is out of control . "And, it's time to tame the email monster," explains Grossman. "You'd love to spend your day doing your job so that maybe, just maybe you could get home and enjoy uninterrupted time with your family or get out with friends," says Grossman. "Instead, you spend so much time every day managing your inbox that everything else in your life--real work, family, play--is practically an afterthought." Grossman has written a new free ebook where he tackles the email beast--showing what some companies are doing to: rein in the email monster make better use of working hours cut back on the stress on employees caused by a 24/7 cycle of endless emails The ebook also includes tools and strategies for managing email in your workplace, and explains when it makes sense to use email--and when...

According to internal communication expert and consultant  David Grossman of The Grossman Group , and as recently reported on NBC Nightly News, workplace email is out of control .  And, it's time to tame the email monster explains Grossman. "You'd love to spend your day doing your job so that maybe, just maybe you could get home and enjoy uninterrupted time with your family or get out with friends," says Grossman.  "Instead, you spend so much time every day managing your inbox that everything else in your life--real work, family, play--is practically an afterthought." Grossman has written a new free ebook where he tackles the email beast--showing what some companies are doing to: rein in the email monster make better use of working hours cut back on the stress on employees caused by a 24/7 cycle of endless emails The ebook also includes tools and strategies for managing email in your workplace, and explains when it makes sense to use email--and w...

Are you leading an organization where e-mail communication is ineffective? Here are some wise guidelines that Verizon Wireless has used to promote effective, efficient and responsible e-mail use within its company. You can find these guidelines in the book, Managers, Can You Hear Me Now? , written by Denny F. Strigl, former CEO and President of Verizon Wireless. E-mail should bring closure to work , not create more work. Before you write an e-mail, ask yourself if calling or visiting the recipient will bring better communication . Keep e-mails short . Make your point in just the subject line or the space in the preview pane. Don't assume other people are staring at their screens, waiting for your e-mail . If just one person needs information or clarification, don't send your e-mail to a group. Never send e-mail when you're angry . Assume anything you put in writing will be leaked to the press or to your competitors. Stay accountable. Sending an e-mail ...

Information sharing practices that rest on a leader's sense of honor, practice of inclusion, and respect for followership distinguish the greater success of Trustworthy Leaders from those leaders who simply stop at doing what is practical, like sending out lots of email or posting and abundance of company notices. From Amy Lyman's new book, The Trustworthy Leader Leveraging the Power of Trust to Transform Your Organization

Leadership communications expert David Grossman recently answered what I believe are some of the most pressing communications challenges leaders face today: How to present to a diverse employee audience with a single presentation How often a leader should communicate What's the best way to deliver bad news How to be sure employees receive a consistent message when leaders must rely on middle managers to deliver it How to effectively communicate via e-mail versus phone David's answers , published in his blog today on his website, are straight-forward, practical and actionable.  And, that's what I like most about David's approach -- in his books , on his blog and via his  speaking engagements. Thanks David!

The typical at-desk employee in the workplace loses 2.1 hours of productivity every day to interruptions and distractions, reports Basex, an IT research and consulting firm. Those interruptions come from e-mail alerts, instant messages, cell phones and handheld devices that constantly buzz. The typical employee also checks e-mail 50 times a day. Each time, the employee gets sidetracked, and their attention span suffers. Productivity drops. Thinking time decreases. As a leader in the workplace, work with your employees to manage e-mails and to lessen daily interruptions. Try these techniques: Turn off all visual and sound alerts that announce new e-mail. Check e-mail at designated times during the day . Attempt to not check e-mail more often than every 45 minutes. Whenever possible, communicate by phone or face-to-face . This can actually save time and helps to build relationships, which suffer when e-mail is a workplace's predominant mode of communicat...

Are you leading an organization where e-mail communication is ineffective? Here are some wise guidelines that Verizon Wireless has used to promote effective, efficient and responsible e-mail use within its company.  You can find these guidelines in the new book, Managers, Can You Hear Me Now? , written by Denny F. Strigl, former CEO and President of Verizon Wireless. E-mail should bring closure to work , not create more work. Before you write an e-mail, ask yourself if calling or visiting the recipient will bring better communication . Keep e-mails short .  Make your point in just the subject line or the space in the preview pane. Don't assume other people are staring at their screens, waiting for your e-mail . If just one person needs information or clarification, don't send your e-mail to a group. Never send e-mail when you're angry . Assume anything you put in writing will be leaked to the press or to your competitors. Stay accountable.  Sending an e-m...

Can't quite master the ideal tone for the emails you send employees and customers?  Or, do you have employees whole struggle with the tone of their emails?  You might want to check out ToneCheck. ToneCheck , a software program that works with Microsoft Outlook 2003, 2007 and 2010, helps to ensure your tone is clearly communicated and understood. It acts somewhat similar to an email spell checker, and you can select the suggested alternatives or ignore the advice. The program evaluates words and phrases for the intensity of eight primary emotions, allowing you to adjust the overall tone before you send your message. ToneCheck scans your messages for terms that may be inadvertently conveying: • Affection • Friendliness • Amusement • Excitement • Sadness • Grief • Fear • Uneasiness • Anger • Shame Over 165 billion email messages are sent worldwide each day. The average worker will spend 10 years of their work life dealing with email. And, sometimes, perhaps all t...