Hang up and lead!
In the early 19th century, English workers who destroyed labor-saving machinery in protest were called Luddites. Today, we have resurrected that label to describe people who fear or oppose the changes that new technologies bring. I am not a Luddite. The technology I use — the Internet, e-mail, voice mail and even the cell phone — liberates me from my office, puts enormous resources at my fingertips and allows me to conduct my business across time and space.
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It is no surprise that when I look around today's workplace, it seems everyone is on a cell phone, smartphone or PDA. My friends and associates rationalize their “CrackBerry” addiction, their obsessive-compulsive message-checking and their Facebook fixation by arguing that they are better-connected, more responsive and even more productive than they ever have been. That may be so, but lately I've observed that people have become slaves to their technology. We also are breeding dependence. How will we develop the next generation of leaders when no one has to — or gets to — resolve a problem, face a challenge or make a decision without the boss virtually holding his hand?
Ironically, I've also observed, in what is supposedly the era of “social networking,” people increasingly isolating themselves from those around them. It seems the convenience and capability of our personal communications technology can work against our situational awareness. I encounter people every day who are very connected but also very unaware of their surroundings, themselves and the people around them. We likely never will return to life before the 24/7 workplace culture. However, our communication habits have enormous implications for the effectiveness of our leadership. We really need to think about how our personal communications technology can serve us — without burying us — when we should be interacting with people on a more personal level.
Trusting relationships and influence provide the beating heart of leadership and teamwork in the modern workplace. Those trusting relationships are born of collaboration, interaction and shared experience. You develop relationships with people by getting to know them, spending time with them, establishing trust and respect — in short, dealing with them. The catch? Dealing with people takes time and focused attention.
Leaders live on a stage, and people watch their every move and test their credibility all the time. They pick up on the signals a would-be leader sends during every interaction, and those signals drive people's lasting impressions. People choose to follow another person, in part, because the would-be leader takes an interest in them as individuals, not just as someone useful to the leader in some way. When people interact with someone they hope to respect and follow, they want that person's undivided attention. If they don't get it, they feel neglected and undervalued. Undervalued people produce less, cooperate less, show less initiative and cause workplace conflict.
Despite our technological wizardry, leadership still represents an inherently human activity rooted in deep psychological needs and drives. Our techno-wizardry can benefit leadership because it helps busy people stay in touch. However, communication goodies are looking more and more like impediments to good leadership. As usual, it's not the technology, but how people choose to use it. As a result, corporate communications experts have begun to offer etiquette advice. From what I have gathered from them, I'd like to offer my top 10 rules on personal communications for aspiring leaders.
If people take the time to talk to you, give them the courtesy of your undivided attention. To do otherwise damages relationships.
Never interrupt a conversation to take a call or check your messages. It's rude and sends the message that talking to that person is not the most important thing you need to do.
Never take a personal call or message during a business meeting, including those with co-workers and subordinates.
Do not text while talking. Remember the Golden Rule: Would you like someone to pretend to listen to you while texting someone else?
Remove the wireless earpiece. Don't get me wrong; I use a Bluetooth earpiece. However, in the wrong setting you might as well write “fool” on your forehead. Take it off when talking to someone in person, and never wear one in a meeting, at a meal with co-workers or in a social setting.
Check for rules prohibiting cell phones and other devices. Yes, they mean you too!
Few people are that important. If you are in a conversation or a meeting, turn off your devices and let messages go to voice mail or your inbox until you can check and answer them. Face it — most messages are not critical and can wait.
If you are in a conversation or a meeting but are expecting an emergency or critical call that you simply cannot miss:
- Let people know that you expect the call.
- Sit near the door.
- Put your wireless device on vibrate.
- Keep your device on your body, not on the table.
- Leave the room to take your call.
Don't take more than one brief pressing or emergency call during a meeting or conversation. If you can't keep it brief or you need to take several calls, don't attend in the first place. In any case, don't keep leaving and returning — you may not have noticed, but it interrupts things and annoys people.
Seriously consider the legitimate business purpose before adopting yet another communications technology that will distract you from the people around you. I agree with singing star and pop icon John Mayer, who says using Twitter is “one step away from sending pictures of your poop.”
We all want to feel more productive, credible, in control and even important. However, the credible leaders I know — people who really get it done — understand that they succeed by focusing on relationships. They both establish their credibility and build trust by their demonstrated example, not by talking on their cell phone, keeping up with their e-mail or narcissistically tweeting to tell people what they had for lunch. The less-effective would-be leaders I know think they look leader-like because they are well-wired when, in reality, people think their connectedness leaves them looking like self-important fools. While you can see people taking calls and reviewing e-mail everywhere these days, my advice instead is to hang up and lead!
Mike DeGrosky is chief executive officer of the Guidance Group, a consulting organization specializing in the human and organizational aspects of the fire service. He also serves as an adjunct instructor in leadership studies at Fort Hays State University. His interests include leadership, strategy, and bringing the concepts of learning organizations and high-reliability organizing alive in fire organizations. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. focused on organizational leadership. He can be reached at info@guidancegroup.org.
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