I’ll Get Back to You on That…

Not so long ago, a gentleman who had recently joined a civic organization I’m a part of sent an email to several other members of the group inviting them to catch up over lunch or coffee individually with hopes of getting to know each of them better since he was relatively new to the area. After a few weeks had passed and only one responded about how busy he was, the gentleman sent me and one other person in the group a separate message saying that he was a bit disappointed in the lack of response - and I can’t say that I blame him…

For what it’s worth, I had replied to his initial email directly (without copying anyone else he had sent it to) with hopes of helping set his expectations for the responses, or lack thereof, that he would likely get. Interestingly enough, the one response that came through detailing that particular individual’s busy-ness was a surprise to me; not that he shared how busy he was but that he responded at all! In the forty or so years I’ve considered that individual a friend, I had actually grown quite accustomed to not getting a reply from him…

I’m guessing by this point, you’re picturing at least one person in your life that you can always count on to say “I’ll get right back with you” and never hear from until you reach out to them again, and again - if they acknowledge your outreach at all! Let’s face it, we all juggle a ton of tasks on a daily basis. For those of us who have accepted the responsibility for leading a team, the number of tasks are often exponentially more than many of our friends or team members even realize. Responding to each individual ping and ding can be a daunting task! But make no mistake, when and how we respond - and to whom - always sends a message; a message separate from the words we use!

Here’s a question I want you to consider: What does responsiveness mean? Regardless of the actual words we use in that response, what are we telling someone when we get back with them promptly? And what message do we send when we don’t reply at all? These may seem like rhetorical questions but I assure you they’re not! The time it takes us to follow up with someone in our personal life can have a lasting impact on the relationship we have with them. And when we’re expected to lead, response time to questions and concerns becomes even more critical! If you’re not tracking with me on this, think back to the mess that followed Hurricane Katrina…

As we move forward here, we’ll take a look at some statistics for average response times to texts, emails, and voicemails. We’ll also sift through why any of that even matters with our friends and family before shifting to the impact it has on the influence we earn (or give up) as leaders. Before that though, let’s circle back to that friend of four decades who I know I can count on - to usually not respond… I always have cared about him, and I imagine I always will. When we were younger, I took it with a grain of salt. As we’ve moved forward in our lives and careers, I’ve had a certain level of respect for his professional accomplishments but I have not been able to equate any of that to actual leadership regardless of the positions or titles he’s held…