| Greetings!
My busy season continues -- in the last three weeks, I've done sessions in Ann Arbor, Austin, Raleigh, Charlotte, East Lansing (twice), Minneapolis, and I'm shortly heading to both Chicago and Northern California, followed by Missouri, Iowa, the Pacific NW, and a "tour" of several cities in lower Michigan in coming weeks. Wow! I am certainly enjoying how well the Taming E-mail, Smart Phone Success, Optimizing Outlook, and Google Apps in the Cloud material is resonating with so many audiences. But boy, that means I need to make the most of every minute when I actually do have time in the office! (And did I tell you I'm moving in 3 weeks??? Yes, we are moving to a new home still here in East Lansing -- can't wait for the new digs, but this move couldn't have possibly happened at a worse time!)
So, I'm going to keep this month's issue quick -- let's start a discussion on something that seems to drive many of my clients crazy -- poor use of CC's, replies, and forwards (in a 3-part series). This month, let's dissect the overuse of CC (and BCC): |
| A Discussion on CC's, Replies, and Forwards | This is ALWAYS the place to look for your Timely Tip!
One of the most popular segments in my Taming the E-mail Beast workshops is when we discuss CC's, Replies, and Forwards. This seems to be a big source of pain (and thus possible opportunity!) for many of my clients and program attendees. I think a big part of the problem is that many e-mail users simply haven't taken the time to think through what they are doing when they quickly use these key functions in most e-mail software programs.
First big problem: Overuse of CC!
This generally stems from three basic actions:
1. The person that likes to keep everyone informed.
2. The person that doesn't know who needs what
3. The person doing "CYA". ;-)
Let's discuss each:
1. The person that likes to keep everyone informed. This person wants to make sure that everyone is always up to speed on everything related to every project. They don't want anyone on the team to feel "underinformed." But, they haven't considered that most people are getting bombed with e-mail, and are struggling to keep up. Thus, many of these messages are actually being ignored, while other workers are wasting valuable time each time these messages are received administering them (filing, deleting, etc.) Possible solution: instead, have designated project "owners". These people are to keep status on any project and rather than CC'ing all project members, only the "owner" gets CC'd. If people need a project update, they go to the owner for status. (Inside thought -- everyone doesn't need to know everything all the time. This is unnecessary redundancy.)
2. The person that doesn't know who needs what. I love this person. If you ask him/her why they are CC'ing everyone on everything, they answer, "Well, I don't know who needs what so I am giving everybody everything!" Obviously, this leads to many unnecessary e-mail communications. Possible solution: This person needs an intervention!! ;-) Go sit down with this person, and explain clearly what information you need from him or her, on what projects or activities. Let him/her know that you don't need everything all the time, and that if you do need an update, you will come to them -- they do not need to send to you! Often, this person will stop sending once they know exactly what you do or do not need. And if this person continues to CC you unnecessarily, keep bugging them each and every time to reiterate your message until it finally gets through. Enlist others on your team to also repeat this message with the CC offender, and keep repeating the fact that too much e-mail is being shared, negatively affecting productivity and performance.
3. The person using e-mail for "CYA". Not sure what CYA means? Ask your neighbor! ;-) Yes, they are using e-mail to "cover their assets". This immediately indicates that there is a lack of trust within the team or organization. Unfortunately, this goes well beyond simple e-mail management and indicates a much deeper problem within the team -- a lack of trust. People are afraid to be "burned", may have been burned before, and are using e-mail to create documentation to keep from being burned again. Possible solution: If it is only one or two people doing this, you may just decide it is not worth the effort to address this use of CC with the offender. Simply file or delete these "update e-mails" when they come in, knowing that their only purpose is for CYA for the other party. If there is rampant CC for CYA occurring, this indicates an organizational problem that is actually quite costly for team productivity, motivation, and morale, and may require a high-level consultation with all parties that have contributed to a "broken" internal culture. Remember, when people have to document everything, they, by design, are working on almost nothing. This lack of trust is very costly (read Steven M.R. Covey's work on The Speed of Trust.) This is NOT an easy issue to address, but may be a critical issue for long-term firm performance.
Very closely related to this last one is the frequent use of BCC. When this is occurring frequently, it also indicates likely trust issues within the organization. Be aware that people are often quite upset when they find out you have been secretly BCC'ing others on what they believe to be private messages. Be VERY cautious with the use of BCC, because the party that is BCC'd on the message may not be cautious at all (they might forward the message on to others or even reply to the original party, thus "outing" you for using BCC.)
All of this leads to a bigger question you need to ask yourself when considering the use of CC or BCC: DO PEOPLE REALLY NEED THIS INFO? Remember, many people are swamped with e-mail. Are you being part of the problem or part of the solution? Are you adding "mud to the swamp?" My strong belief -- at least 50% of CCs and BCCs are probably unnecessary (and likely 90% of "Reply Alls"!) Be harshly self-critical when considering the use of CC and BCC, and ask yourself the pivotal question: do people REALLY need this? If you take a few seconds to consider this question, and get others on your team to do the same, the volume of unnecessary CC and BCC should drop dramatically, allowing people to spend more time on smart productivity.
I'm sure a bit of what I've discussed above will be controversial to some of my readers, so why don't we start a forum? If you strongly agree with what I've shared here, or even have more to add, please send me your thoughts. And if you completely disagree, I'd like to hear from you too. (And yes, I think this issue may be a very good one to share with your internal team, especially if this is a clear issue in your organization. Maybe it could even be used as the impetus for a targeted meeting on this topic to find better solutions and create a new e-mail culture?)
Next month, we'll discuss the poor use of "Replies" and especially "Reply All". |
Upcoming Public Programs/Conferences:
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Tomorrow (2/28), I'll be speaking at the NAMIC Conference in downtown Chicago.
Next week, I'm doing private programs at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.
March 13, I'll be speaking at the Missouri Electrical Coops conference in Jefferson City, MO.
On March 14, I'll be at the Michigan Petroleum Conference in Grand Rapids, MI.
On March 18, I'll be leading a Finding an Extra Hour time management session at Michigan State University.
On March 19, I'll be leading a public program for ECTO HR in Novi, Michigan, followed by speaking at the Circle Michigan event in Birch Run (crazy day!)
And on March 20, I'll be in Bay City, MI, speaking at the OMCA/ABA joint event.
On March 21, I'll be back here in East Lansing doing an Ending the Office Clutter/Info Overload session for MSU HRD.
And on April 2, I'll be leading sessions at the Iowa State University professional development day.
If you want more information on any of these events, send me a reply at timelyman@gmail.com or randy@randalldean.com.
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Wish me luck in the move!
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Look at my schedule above, and then remember that we are also moving to a new house in three weeks! Holy Moly! Talk about bad timing! (But hey, these are once in a generation real estate market conditions, so I'm really excited for the new digs and "home base" for Randall Dean Consulting & Training, LLC!) |
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Look for the next Timely Tips in late March after I get moved and settled. Use the links below to connect "socially".
Until next month, Stay Timely!
Randy Dean
Randall Dean Consulting & Training, LLC
http://www.randalldean.com
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App of the Month
Waze GPS
| Waze GPS App -- available on Google Play and ITunes App Store.
I was speaking at a conference in North Carolina last month, and fellow speaker Dave Sherman turned me on to this handy app: Waze GPS.
It is a standard GPS app with a really cool twist -- as drivers are using it, they can post current traffic conditions so you can be immediately informed of traffic snarls right as they begin!
This seems like a great idea (except for the obvious thought that if people are posting real time traffic updates, they might not be focusing on driving!), but it is probably worth a test, especially if you live in a city with frequent traffic jams and incidents.
You can also use it to find out which friends are near, and also get a read on best gas prices in the area.
Check it out and let me know your thoughts! |
| LOTS of new people have subscribed -- get back issues and bonuses HERE! |
| I have spoken to SEVERAL big groups in the last two months, and we have a slew of new subscribers to Timely Tips because of this.
If you are a new subscriber, WELCOME! I'd like to give you a backlink to the December 2012 issue of Timely Tips, as that issue contained links to ALL back issues of Timely Tips as well as several useful and shareable articles and tip sheets (look in the second article under the intro to find these useful tools).
Here is the link to the December 2012 issue.
And thanks for being a subscriber to Timely Tips. Feel free to invite friends, coworkers, and colleagues to join too, as we work to find more time and productivity for professionals far and wide!
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| Sending Big Files? | Frequent Timely Tips contributor Rob Chabot informed me of these two very cool services that are available if you have very large files (huge documents, PowerPoints, and/or audio/video files) that you need to send to others.
The first is WeTransfer. It is an online service that transfers large files (up to 5 GB) for free, with a Plus account that will allow you to transfer even larger files.
Another similar service is TransferBigFiles.com. It looks like both of these services provide basically the same service -- an inexpensive (or even free) option for sending/sharing huge files that are too big for e-mail.
Of course, you could also use cloud-based file storage services like Box or Dropbox too (I have been using Box for years, and it allows me to post a file online, get a private URL for the item, and even password protect the download if needed. I then simply send that URL to whomever is expecting the file, and let them download the item at their convenience -- handy!)
Next time you are tempted to lock up my inbox by sending me a 10 MB file, please consider one of these services instead! | |
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