The Hurrier I Go – The Behinder I Get

 The White Rabbit rushes through the classic book by C. S, Lewis, Through the Looking Glass, and worries about  being late.  "The hurrier I go the behinder I get", he says, and it has become a well-used lament for generations.  It’s a good reminder that we need to take our time for good results.  This is especially true when taking messages or overseeing employees in our industry. (Or probably any other.)

Have you ever noticed that when you are rushing to take a message you seem to jump around unnecessarily in the message template?  Or that when you are talking with a client, you feel pressure to show how efficient you are, and end up leaving some critical piece of information out of your notes?  Or how about when you receive an email from your own supervisor and rush to answer it as though every nanosecond’s delay counted against you?

Here is a good adage to remember.  The more critical a message of response is, the longer you should take to make sure it is right.

It doesn’t pay to rush when you are actually speaking to a person, but when you are answering in writing – that message is there for all to see for a long time.  If you have misspelled a word, or poorly worded a sentence, or worse, given incorrect information, you can’t do it over.  It is just THERE.

Let’s suppose that you have received an email with a question – from your boss, from your direct report, or from your client, it doesn’t matter, they all deserve the same consideration.  How do you answer it in the best way possible?

Step 1 – Read it again, slowly, and be sure you understand what is being asked of you.

Step 2 – Think about your answer for a full minute.  Do you need to gather additional information?  If so, let them know you need to do some research and you will get back to them.  Give a time and adhere to it, even if only to change the time (and explain why).

Step 3 – Take time to put the facts in proper order.

Step 4 – When you think the email (or letter or text) is properly composed, set it aside for at least 30 seconds and maybe as much as 30 minutes, and then read your words as if you were the person receiving them – how would you feel?

Step 5 – Run the message through Grammarly or a similar program, or at least proofread it carefully.  Perhaps, if it is really important, have someone else proofread it for you.

Step 6 – OK, now hit send - and it might be good to send a blind copy to yourself.

Do you need to take all of these steps for a quick response about going to lunch?  Of course not, but the more important the message, the more important it is to follow all of these steps.  It is far better to be known for thoughtful, accurate responses than for quick responses.  Your colleagues and your customers will thank you.