From Where I Sit

10 Reasons to Send a Letter Rather Than Email

Last time I checked, I was getting about 800 emails a week. That sounds like a lot, but it’s manageable. I never have more than a hundred in my inbox at any one time. My goal is to get to empty, every single day. Usually, I succeed.

Conversely, I usually get about three traditional letters a week. You know what I am talking about, right? It looks similar to an email, but it’s printed on actual paper, neatly folded and inserted into an envelope, with a real, honest-to-goodness stamp on the outside.

TSA Screening at Airports

I am all for the TSA screening system at airports. In today’s world, you can’t be too careful. Overall, I have found TSA officials to be pleasant, professional, and courteous.

However, I continue to be surprised at the inconsistent application of certain screening procedures. I travel a good deal and am in and out of airports all over the country. You would think that a federal program would insure that rules are applied consistently. Evidently not.

How to Shave Ten Hours Off Your Work Week

Almost everyone I know is working more time than they would like. That’s why a book like The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss has been such a big bestseller. This is a great book, but the promise is a little over the top. I don’t know of anyone, including Tim Ferriss, who really only works four hours.

But what if you could shave ten hours off your work week? In my opinion, that is much more do-able. Virtually anyone, with a little thought and effort can do it. Here’s how:

Leadership and Accountability

Everyone wants to be a leader. However, few are prepared to accept the accountability that goes with it. But you can't have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin.

But what does accountability look like? First and foremost, it means that you accept responsibility for the outcomes expected of you—both good and bad. You don’t blame others. And you don’t blame the external environment. There are always things you could have done—or still can do—to change the outcome.

My Current Workflow System

Several people have written to ask how I am managing my current workflow. Most of those writing are “GTD practitioners” (inspired by David Allen’s bestseller, Getting Things Done) who are specifically interested in what software tools I am using. So, I thought I would I would dedicate a post to providing an overview of my current practices.

My current computer is an Apple MacBook Pro with a 2.4 GHz processor and 4 GB of memory. I installed the new Leopard operating system a week and a half ago, when it first came out. I made two complete backups of my hard drive before I installed it, and so far I am enjoying it.

The Lost Art of Listening

One of the greatest gifts any of us can ever receive is the gift of listening. It is also one of the greatest gifts we can ever give. Unfortunately, it appears to be a lost art.

We live in a world where everyone is talking but few are listening. What often passes for listening is simply one person pausing to collect their thoughts for their next soliloquy. Just turn on your favorite talk radio or television show to experience a vivid example of this. (My personal favorite is Hannity & Colmes, where no one appears to be listening to anyone!)

Calendar Triage

The last three weeks have been crazy. I spent a week in Philadelphia with my Executive Leadership Team. We attended an Alignment Intensive seminar sponsored by Gap International. It was amazing and well worth the time. (I hope to write more about it later.)

However, I fell behind in my other work and have been working madly since then to catch up. An intense travel schedule has also added to the challenge.

Shift the Drift

Every stream has a current. Throw a twig or a piece of paper into the water, and it will drift with the flow. This is natural. It is simply the way things work.

Organizations are similar to streams. They too have a flow. That flow is the organization’s culture. When people enter into that culture, they usually move along with the current. It is what my friends at Gap International call “the drift.”

Both Sides of the Story

We’ve all heard it a thousand times before, “There are always two sides to every story.” For those of us in leadership we know that there are usually more than two sides.

The problem is that most of us (me included) forget this in actual practice. Someone comes into our office and shares their tale of woe. We listen carefully, nodding our head in sympathy. We are surprised by how our colleague was treated. We may even become angry. Their response to the situation appears perfectly reasonable. Then, without further reflection, we take some action that we later regret.

Leadership: Control vs. Influence

Leadership is about influence not control. I am not the first person to make this observation, but it is worth repeating.

I often hear leaders, particularly younger ones, complaining about their lack of control in various situations. “If only the sales department reported to me, I could consistently hit my budget,” they lament. Or, “If the production department reported to me, I would not have run out of inventory!”

What Is It About Your Leadership?

Blame is the oldest game in town. It was invented by Adam who, after eating of the forbidden fruit, told God, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). In other words, it’s Eve’s fault. (And, by extension, God’s fault.)

Not much has changed since Adam’s day. Ask almost anyone why something bad happened and they will point to someone or something else. In my experience, it is exceedingly rare for people to stand up and take responsibility.

Free Conference Call Service

I spend a lot of time on conference calls. In the past, these were arranged through some outside service like Qwest. These services typically charge any where from 4¢ to 30¢ a minute per caller. But, for me, those days are history.

Recently, one of the boards I am on started using FreeConCall.com. As the name suggests, it is completely free. When you register, the service assigns you a phone number and a three-digit code to use whenever you want to hold a conference call.

How to Get a Faster Response to Your E-mail

I often hear people complain about how long it takes to get a response to e-mail. Sometimes, to be sure, it is because the recipient is inept. The sender’s request languishes in the recipient’s overflowing inbox.

But sometimes, the request itself is the problem. Here’s what you can do on your end to insure a faster response:

1. Put the person’s name in the TO field. The CC field won’t cut it. If you expect someone to respond, make sure you have addressed the e-mail to them. I get so many e-mails now that I have set up an e-mail rule to filter out messages on which I am only CC’d. I automatically assume that these are “for information only.” This automated rule moves messages to my “CC” folder and marks them as read, so they don’t continue to distract me. I only go through this folder once a week or so.

Getting Your E-mail Inbox to Zero

Merlin Mann is one of my favorite productivity gurus. I have been reading his blog for a couple of years now.

Recently, Merlin gave a lecture at Google. It was entitled “Inbox Zero.” In this lecture, he provides a conceptual framework and practical tips for managing your e-mail workload. He also answers questions from the audience.

Never Forget a To-Do Item

Have you ever been driving down the freeway and remember something that needs to be added to your to-do list? I have. Many times. Trying to jot down a memo at 70-plus miles per hour is not exactly safe.

Enter Jott.com. You call a special, toll-free number, dictate your to-do item, and hang-up. Jott then converts your voice message to text and sends you an e-mail. You can then process your e-mail as you normally would.

Finding More “Head Time”

Most of us don’t spend enough time thinking. We are so busy doing that we have, I fear, almost forgotten how to think. Yet it is our thinking, more than any other single activity, that influences our outcomes.

The problems we face will not likely be solved by working harder. New gadgets won’t really help either. In fact, I sometimes fear that our many gadgets have only added unnecessary clutter to our lives. What we need is better, more profound thinking.

My E-mail Experiment: An Update

Two weeks ago, I began my recovery from e-mail addiction. Based on Tim Ferriss’s advice, I decided that I would set my e-mail program to work in offline mode. I purposed to check e-mail only twice a day—once in the middle of the workday and once at the end.

Since then, several people have written to ask how my little experiment is going. Several have also joined me in this adventure.

E-mail Etiquette 101

The use of e-mail in corporate culture is pervasive. I rarely get letters any more. Even phone calls are uncommon. But I get scores of e-mail messages every day. Yet, I am continually surprised at how people often misuse this medium.

Therefore, I would like to humbly offer up 18 suggestions for better e-mail communication and etiquette:

E-mail: Escape from Being Fully Present?

Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, provides some fascinating statistics about e-mail addiction and information overload on his Web site.

He says,

66% of people read email seven days a week and expect to receive a response the same day.

61% continue to check email while on vacation.

Upgrading My Standard Messages

I thought it was about time to overhaul my standard voice mail greetings. I’ve been following the same procedure for several years.

I generally update my office phone message daily. I liked providing the current date to let callers know that I was checking my messages regularly. But that has proven to be more trouble than it’s worth.

Breaking E-mail Addiction

I am reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. He’s only twenty-nine-years old, but wise beyond his years. This is probably the best book I have read on productivity since Getting Things Done by David Allen. I highly recommend it.

Tim says,

... limit e-mail consumption and production. This is the greatest single interruption in the modern world.

How to Coach Your Boss

Much has been written on the topic of coaching employees. (One of my favorites is a book we published a few months ago by Daniel Harkavy. It is called Becoming a Coaching Leader: The Proven System for Building Your Own Team of Champions.) But very little has been written on the topic of coaching your boss.

The truth is that most employees see things that their boss says or does that are ineffective or inefficient. Sometimes, they see these things more clearly than anyone else. The boss could profit greatly from the insight of his or her subordinates—if only they could get honest feedback.

Workload Triage

I often write on workload management. But even I occasionally get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of requests and assignments. (I’ll bet David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, does, too.) I’m in such a state right now.

In the last week I’ve had a quarterly board meeting, quarterly all employee meeting, monthly business review meetings, an all-day session with an outside consultant, a major author meeting, and my usual weekly one-on-one meetings with my direct reports. That doesn’t even account the 997 e-mails (yes, that’s the exact count as of 10 minutes ago) that I have received in the last two weeks or the various ad hoc phone calls, letters, and meetings. No wonder I feel overwhelmed!

Changing the Publishing Model

If you are in the publishing industry or have been reading my blog, you probably know that effective April 1, we eliminated all twenty-one of our company’s “imprints.”*

Over the course of this past year, we “rolled up” all of our publishing brands into the singular “Thomas Nelson” brand. (In other industries, this is sometimes referred to as a “brand consolidation.”) We also reorganized by consumer categories.

Respond or Perish

Last week, I received a letter from a well-known author. He had a fairly trivial question about foreign rights. Interestingly, his letterhead had no e-mail address. Nor did it have a phone number. I thought, How quaint.

I also thought, What a hassle. First, the letter sat in my inbox for several days. Why? Because I assume that anyone who wants a quick answer to something sends an e-mail or leaves a voice mail. About the only letters I get any more are direct mail solicitations or solicitations for charitable contributions. I assume that the only reason these don’t come via e-mail is either the sender doesn’t have my e-mail address or, even if he does, doesn’t want me to regard it as spam.

How to Build (or Rebuild) Trust

Trust is to an organization what oil is to a car engine. It keeps the moving parts from seizing up and stopping forward motion.

But trust is not something you can take for granted. It takes months—sometimes years—to build. Unfortunately, you can lose it overnight.

Some people seem to have a knack for building trust. When they speak, others take them at their word. When they are absent, people speak well of them. Even when they make a mistake, people give them the benefit of the doubt.

Selling: The Inside Job

Usually, when people think about selling, they think of something that goes on outside the company. Sales reps call on external customers in an attempt to sell the company’s products or services. But what people often forget is the importance of selling people inside the company.

The truth is that internal selling is far more important than external selling. If you can’t sell the people inside your company on your product or service, you don’t have a chance of selling those outside the company.

Why? Because sooner or later you are dependent on other people inside your organization to get the message out. Before you can do that you have to get the message in. If they are not convinced, they can’t be convincing.

How to Get Your Boss Off Your Back

Many years ago, I had a boss that drove me crazy. He insisted on micro-managing me. He wanted to know every move I made. I had to furnish daily status reports with every call, every conversation, every project, etc. It really got to me. I tried to be patient, but I eventually quit. I just couldn’t succeed in that environment.

In this situation, I don’t think I gave him any reason to distrust me. This was just his management style. Everyone complained about it. He was simply a bad boss. Unfortunately, some are like that.

But even the best bosses exercise supervision. That’s their job. Frankly, I don’t mind accountability. You probably don’t either. I just don’t want it to turn into meddling. I don’t want to spend more time managing my boss than managing my work.

20 Things I Learned from My Bosses (Even the Bad Ones)

I’ve had more than 20 bosses in my career. I worked well with nearly all of them. Most of them were surprisingly average—even forgettable.

One was brilliant and became a role model. He took responsibility when things went badly. He gave others credit when things went well. He exuded integrity and is still a dear friend. But he was the exception.

One boss was malignantly incompetent. He couldn’t do anything right. I dreaded every meeting I ever had with him. He was a nice guy but burned up and checked out. I think he retired mentally about two years before the company let his body go. I was honestly embarrassed to tell anyone I worked for him.

Question: How Do You Cope with Your Post-Vacation Workload?

Recently, I took a vacation with my family. I announced on my blog that I would be “unplugged” during this time.

Philip wrote to ask me what I found when I returned and how I managed my “reentry.” He said,

When you were out for a week of vacation, and considering you were unplugged, were you presented with an overwhelming stack of issues, problems, emails, approvals when you returned on Monday? If so, how do you approach, prioritize, and “attack” your accumulated tasks? You have tools and strategies for everything else, is there something you differently to get plugged back in after being unplugged?

Actually, my return to work went smoothly. But I’ve been at this for a few years. During that time, I have developed four strategies for managing my after-vacation workload.

Do You Know What You Are Especially Good At?

Ffrom a career standpoint, this is probably the most important question you could ever ask. The answer will determine how fast you advance in your career and, more importantly, how happy you are in your job.

Many of us have had to figure it out the hard way—by trial and error. But fortunately, there is a better way.

In 2001, Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton wrote their blockbuster bestseller, Now, Discover Your Strengths. As part of the book, readers were given a special code to access an online strengths assessment. We’ve used the philosophy—and the assessment—extensively here at Thomas Nelson.

Why You Should Welcome Trouble

I have a great job, but some days it seems like I go from one fire to the next. How about you?

Today was one of those days. Just when I thought I was done and could get back to “my job,” something else flared up.

About that time, Mark Schoenwald, our Chief Sales Officer, sent me a wonderful quote from Max Lucado’s soon-to-be-released book, Every Day Deserves a Chance. Mark had no idea what kind of day I was having, but his e-mail could not have been more timely.

The Seven Levels of Preparation

“Hi. My name is Mike, and I’m a prepaholic.” If there was a support group for people who over-prepare, I would be a charter member.

Much of my job involves making presentations—to boards, banks, investors, authors, agents, customers, employees, vendors, the media—you name it. Each one of these represents an opportunity to make a “brand impression,” for myself and for the company I represent.

Breaking Your Routine

Sometimes you need to give yourself permission to break your routine. Some days you just can’t help it.

Like today. I have a Board meeting in New York tomorrow. I spent most of the weekend preparing for it. I thought I was done last night, but I discovered several things I wanted to change this morning.

The Importance of the Weekly Review

In the fast pace of the modern business world, it is easy to lose your way and become reactive rather than proactive. As a result, you may forget to process notes from your meetings, put assigned tasks on your task list, or, looking forward, anticipate upcoming meetings and events for which you need to prepare.

When this happens, important items fall through the cracks. You end up embarrased. Worse, you may frustrate your customers, colleagues, or even your boss.

Part of the solution to this problem is the “Weekly Review.” This is an opportunity to get your head above the daily blizzard of activities and see where you’ve been and where you’re going. In my view, this is the key to staying on top of your projects and assignments. The result is that you stay in control of your workload and keep your business associates happy.

Taking Responsibility for Your Mistakes

One key to leadership is the willingness to stand up and take responsibility for your mistakes. Good leaders do this even if they are guilty of only 10% of the accusation or problem. They do this even if the source is a carping, high-maintenance client. They do this even if there were circumstances beyond their control that led to the mistake.

Good leaders do this because it’s the right thing to do. They don’t do it for the sake of public relations alone. They do it because they failed to meet their own high standards of ethical conduct or operational performance.

Interview Questions for the Ideal Candidate

Recently, I described the ideal employee candidate as humble, honest, hungry, and smart. I represented this as a sort of formula: “H3S.” In that post I promised to write a follow-up, providing a list of interview questions.

This list is just a start. I plan to keep working on it. If you have suggestions for other questions, please share them in the Comments section. (If you are reading this post via e-mail, you will have to actually visit my blog and scroll down to the comments section.)

Overcoming E-mail Overload, Part 3

In my experience as a manager, delegation is the easy part. Follo