In an era of email and blackberries, instant messaging and voicemail, we often take the quickest route to communication rather than the most personal one.
On some levels that does work to increase efficiency, but it decreases the opportunity to form personal networks amongst coworkers, clients, and other business people. Oftentimes, it is the undefinable personal connection that will seal business deals, lead customers to your door time after time, and encourage people to add a personal touch to work they do for you.
So, while in our communication overloaded world, it’s impossible to conduct every interaction in person, try to break the trend towards impersonal contact with the occasional phone call or personal meeting where a simple email might have been used before. The personal connections and networks you create will long outlast the individual projects or contracts you are working on.
Originally posted on April 8, 2006 @ 7:52 pm
