I just learned a wonderful lesson...
that I want to share with you.
Ready? Here ya go.
"The hard thing to do and the right thing to do,
are almost always the same thing."
Here's what I mean.
Today I'm in the middle of negotiating a
deal with a multi-billion dollar company.
Do I have your attention?
Okay, so today I needed to email
them a quick run down on what
I'll be doing to help move
them to the next level.
Toward the end of my email
I included a quick line
that I thought was harmless
but it really triggered the
individual who received the
email.
She wrote back
and told me she didn't appreciate
something I said.
I was stunned.
Now, here's the lesson
and you need to keep
reading b/c there's something
here for you too.
Instead of responding to her
email with an email, I picked up the phone...
and I called her.
You see, it's so easy to
shoot off an email. We've
gotten so used to just
emailing people - no matter
how inflammatory the content.
Some of us can be down
right mean and rude as long
as we can hide behind the veil
of email.
Now, I could have easily
emailed and tried to explain
that I'd been misunderstood but
guess what?
The situation required
a different level of communication.
Not because it's a multi-billion
dollar company but because
it's simply the right thing to do
in business...or in life.
I don't believe in hiding
behind avoidance. We grow
when we approach things head on.
My lesson is the same lesson
I encourage my coaching clients
to learn: do the hard thing.
Don't take the easy way out.
We grow, when we stretch ourselves.
We grow, when we allow
ourselves to be vulnerable, honest,
humble and real.
Things are going to happen.
Somebody's gonna misunderstand you.
YOU'RE gonna misunderstand somebody.
When it happens, own what's yours.
Do the right thing and move on.
I can't control whether this exec
is going to see her lesson
in our interaction. That's none
of my business.
My commitment is to be kind, professional
and accountable. Period.
What's your stand on communicating
via email?