I just returned for a walk around my Brooklyn neighborhood and it was entirely rejuvenating! The sun was out, coffeeshops that had closed have reopened, previously vacant storefronts were bustling. NYC slogged through a long, hard winter, but now it's bursting with new life!
There are still some vestiges of the dark days of the past year, though: signs in windows and trees festooned with messages of thanks to our first responders. I hope we never forget how they helped us through those first months. I said my own prayer of thanks for them and their steadfastness in the face of so much horror.
But, as often happens on a walk, my mind free-associated, and I thought of a conversation I had recently with a client about his business communication style. He knew that being reactive is not a good way to manage, so he was trying to be more proactive in all his speaking and writing. But that still wasn't working for him. I read some sample correspondence, and steered him toward a better approach.
Take the idea of active away altogether, I said. Don't be re- or pro-. To clarify or convey information, or answer questions, the best approach is to be responsive. (This is where my mind went after thinking of first responders, you see.) Before you show your vast array of knowledge, before you "take charge" of the conversation, you need to make sure you are responding to what you're being asked, what the situation is, who's asking, what they already know, etc.
Because it doesn't matter if it's your direct report, your boss, or your client. They can't read your mind. So you need to say the parts you instinctively rush over in your eagerness to give the right answer.
Connect the dots. Let them in on your thought process. They'll follow your logic and understand your answer better. You may even cut down on the confusion that leads to that endless loop of follow-up question-clarification-further question-and-so forth-and-so on. . . .
That'll give you more time to go enjoy the beginning of a beautiful season!
