The customer doesn’t like the order and wants a refund.

Pretty straightforward, right?  Consider, though, that different people in your company may interpret the sentence.  A salesman might read this and assume this is criticism of his sales tactics: finalizing a sale that the customer ultimately rejects.  The business owner thinks the company is offering the wrong type of products and considers expanding the business to catch this type of customer later.  And the person who sent the email may be someone who processes refunds all the time, and sees this as “business as usual” with no real consequence.  Each person can take a positive, negative or neutral stance on the issue.

Not every reaction is one you planned.  (Photo Credit: Phil and Pam)

Reminding yourself that email does not convey tone or emotion is a good habit to get into.  A few other tips you can employ to make sure everyone on your email thread is on the same page as you:

• Format your message to be readable.  Paragraphs are great for casual reading, but format goes a long way in getting your point across.  Use bullet points and lists where you need to talk about several items.  Headers and bolded points can work wonders as well.  Think about your audience and format appropriately.
• No matter the message, make sure the action item is clear.  If your email contains information that is meant to be followed, make that the focus of your email.  If Bob should do X, make sure that’s the one thing he’ll take away, with the other points as supplementary details.  Reinforce your action items in a separate place, like through shared calendars and todo lists.
• Don’t write an email while angry or upset.  For one, “typing angry” rarely comes across as professional.  Second, what you perceive as pointed criticism may come across as a mere rant, not to be taken seriously.  You should try to calm down first before proceeding.
• Keep your persuasive emails short (and don’t rely on them to change minds).  When people send persuasive emails, they often come across as too long.  You don’t want to get caught up in a “TLDR” trap: Too Long, Didn’t Read.  If you’re passionate about something, use email as one of many mediums to get your point across.  To really convince minds though, you should schedule some face-to-face time with a decision maker to discuss the finer points of your argument.

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Having been through several start-ups myself, though, there is definitely an advantage to having routines.  Routines can make sense out of the daily chaos that can happen in a start-up.  It can make others familiar with the way decisions are made.  Routines also often form the backbone of communication, making it useful for making sure everyone is in the loop.

Sometimes, it takes two computers to communicate.  (Photo Credit: mh.xbhd.org)

I want to stress that routines are different than your average process: they usually occur as a result of teamwork (not mandated from above), they are as flexible to change as anything else in a small business (provided everyone understands that change), and if they’re not helpful, they should be axed.

A few examples of routines that I’ve found useful in the past:

• Employee emails before major product updates.  This ensures that everyone in the company knows what’s going on before the customer does.  There’s nothing worse than being the only guy on the team “not in the know” about what you’re selling.
• Stand-up meetings.  When fast approaching a deadline, it’s sometimes good to get everyone in a room, IM box, or phone line to do a quick “stand-up” meeting.  Literally, this lasts less than 5 minutes and should be done at the beginning of the day. Items to discuss is usually the work that must be done by end of business day.
• The checklist.  I love lists (why else would I start Fellowstream), and going over checklists before a major event has saved my bacon more than once.  If you have a task with multiple parts, write them all down, and check them off your (digital) list as you go.

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Definitely worth a read

But for all his greatness as a businessman, I marvel at his personal relationships.  Steve Jobs did not only put his products above all else, something true of many entrepreneurs, he also put them above his family relationships.  He barely knew his daughters, especially not the one he fathered out of wedlock at a young age, whom he refused to believe was his after many years.

I am a strong believer in work life balance, particularly maintaining healthy relationships with family.  I have made decisions in the past to give up parts of a professional life to have more time for family, a decision I have never regretted.  I can’t imagine making the choices that Steve did; to me, no product could ever replace the kind of bond I have with my husband, my child, and my close family and friends.

Yet, many entrepreneurs do make the decisions to pour their life into their work.  It makes you wonder: can you be a successful entrepreneur and still have family time?  One of my business mentors told me that entrepreneurs get to choose their own work hours, that “you can choose which 20 hours you want to work each day.”  That kind of attitude seems to forgo having any life outside of work.  And many examples we see in life, Steve Jobs included, seem to indicate it’s not possible; that in order to be good at one thing, you must give up time spent on anything else.

I hope it’s possible to do both because I won’t be the kind of person to pursue my career at the expense of everything else.  It’s just not who I am.  Even if I die and only my family remembers me, that’s legacy enough for me.  Steve Jobs gave a great speech about staying hungry and foolish.  I know he meant pursuing your passions in business or art, a personal passion, not an interpersonal passion.  But I’m going to make that mine and pursue both my professional and personal life.  Make them both meaningful, and not sacrifice one for the other.

It may be the most foolish notion ever, but it’s who I am.

-Deborah Fike

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So no, managers and leaders, just like the guys on the front line, often have to use their experience, intuition, and just plain common sense to make decisions on a day-to-day basis.

Why is this important to know?  Because it makes them human, just like you and me.  I like Steve Jobs as much as the next guy, but I’m reading his biography and it’s amazing how much hero worship he had in his own head and collected.  True, the man was a genius, but he didn’t get there gathering data.  He had a plethora of life choices and experiences that gave him insight into the consumer mind and that’s what made him special.  But he wasn’t infallible.

Keep that in mind the next time you’re reading expert advice and material.  It’s great to learn from others, don’t get me wrong, but in the end you should make your own choices.  Hone your own skills and create experiences that will make you better at whatever it is you’re doing.  And for the love of Steve, don’t wait around for “all the info” before you just get out there and do something.  Do it now and learn from your mistakes rather than waiting around for a bunch of random facts.

-Deborah Fike

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Stereotypes abound for a reason. If you don’t like yours, why not consider a change? You might not be able to completely eliminate these kinds of interactions, but you might be able to find a better way to get things done.

For starters, how about less meetings?

-Deborah Fike

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