Leadership is an important skill. In the digital age, applying the fundamental traits of leadership in an effective way becomes even more important. The ability to effectively communicate with both your team and the wider community around you is vital to any organization that wants to be successful. Here are a few useful tips on how to use email as a tool for enhancing your leadership skills.
Communication
The point of an email is to communicate a message quickly. In the context of a functional business relationship, it's rarely used as an end-all method of communication—rather, it's simply one part of a multi-layer process. Email should be carefully considered, and sent, when necessary, rather than flippantly. If you have a lot of points to get across, consider structuring them into a series of bullet points that can easily be digested by the recipient, instead of in a series of multiple emails that may clutter the inbox and get missed in the deluge of other matters.
Transparency and Respect
Email can also serve as a great way to remain transparent with your team about processes and changes that may affect them. The concept of the “meeting that could have been an email” is infamous. A good leader knows how to respect the time of the people serving under them. If something can be written out or summarized via email, do not waste their time with a face-to-face meeting. If there are multiple ways to accomplish a task, choose the most efficient route. In most cases, that route will be in the form of a simple email.
Accountability
Accountability is a two-way street. The details of verbal exchanges can very often be forgotten or misremembered. When these meetings are summarized via email, they serve as a great means of ensuring that both you and your team remain accountable to one another. A willingness to have your words easily cross-referenced by your team in the future demonstrates to them that you mean what you say and can be kept to your word in the future.
Mailstrom and Chuck are two software solutions that help you take control of your email inboxes and develop good leadership habits by assigning priority to emails, separating them into convenient groups, and so much more. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you shift your digital management style to one that’s more productive and conducive to positive leadership practices.
