Is Your Team Hiding Behind Emails?
Modern Communication: The Pitfalls and How to Adapt
Do you choose the easy route of a quick email over the more challenging, but often more fruitful, path of a real conversation?
I have been giving this a lot of thought recently. It is a question that resonated with me after I listened to an article about the changing nature of communication. It made me reflect not just on my work, but on my own family.
I have two teenage boys, one at college and one at university. Not wishing to sound like a bit of an oldie, I am going to say it: when I was their age, the only phone was the one in the house, and when it rang, it felt as though it was mandatory to pick it up and answer it. That is certainly not how my boys feel about a ringing phone. There is a clear preference to communicate via text messages, and sometimes those are not replied to for hours or days, if at all.
This got me thinking about the parallels I see in the workplace. I have always believed in straightforward, transparent communication. But in a world of endless emails and instant messages, are we losing the art of genuine, live conversation?
The Problem with the ‘Hive Mind’
Our default has become asynchronous communication: emails, instant messages, and collaborative platforms. These tools have their place, of course. They are excellent for sharing a document or communicating with colleagues in different time zones. But they have become the default for far too many interactions.
This constant digital connection reminds me of a concept from the author Cal Newport, who talks about the “hive mind of hyper-connectivity”. In many modern workplaces, we are all constantly in touch, but no one is truly focused. We are in a perpetual state of reacting to a barrage of pings and notifications. This creates a culture of distraction and is a significant barrier to the effective leadership and deep work that is needed.
My natural tendency is to operate at a strategic level, shaping direction and empowering others to manage the details. That is incredibly difficult when everyone is constantly pulled into this hive mind, responding to a stream of messages rather than focusing on the bigger picture.
The Aversion and the Cost
I believe this shift is often driven by an aversion to live conversation. It is simply easier to write an email than to have a difficult conversation in person. We can carefully craft our message, avoid any immediate pushback, and create a paper trail to protect ourselves.
But this avoidance comes at a cost. It leads to misunderstandings, a lack of clarity, and a significant erosion of trust.
I once had a team leader who would only communicate with his staff via email, even when they were sitting a few feet away from him. When I challenged him on it, he said, “I just find it easier”. What he was doing was creating a barrier. His team felt disconnected, and they told me so. They were demoralised because they never had a chance to have a real dialogue. He was avoiding the human side of leadership: the coaching, the mentoring, and the simple act of checking in.
How to Bring Back Live Conversations
So, what is the solution? As leaders, we need to champion a return to live conversations. Here is a plan.
First, let’s define “live conversation.” It does not just mean being in a room face-to-face. It could mean a conversation over the telephone or via a video call. It is about real-time dialogue where you can pick up on nuances and engage with another person.
Here are two strategies to make this happen:
1. Prioritise ‘Live’ in the Moment We must start by asking ourselves a simple question before we send a message: “Is this a conversation that needs to be had live?”. If the answer is yes, then do not send an email. Pick up the phone or schedule a quick chat. I have always found that my most effective conversations have been direct and in real-time.
2. Create the Framework We need to create the situations where others feel they can do the same. It is okay to have a conversation about how to have conversations. Ask your team how they want to communicate with each other. What are the rules of engagement? When something is not right, we need to be direct and clear in our feedback.
To fix the situation with the email-only leader, we worked on a new approach. He endeavoured to have a live, in-person conversation with his team every morning, unless he was physically not in the building, to set the tone for the day. The impact was profound. The team’s morale improved, their productivity increased, and they felt a renewed sense of purpose.
This is not just about avoiding emails. It is about building a culture of trust, clarity, and accountability. As leaders, we have a responsibility to set the standard.
So, I will leave you with a question to ponder: What is one thing you can do this week to shift your team’s communication style from ‘default-to-digital’ to one that prioritises live conversation.
Level Up Leadership is a passion project in my spare time. I enjoy doing it, and I intend to keep these articles and podcasts free. However, the software and equipment I use isn’t free! So, if you are enjoying this content and would like to make a donation, you can do so by clicking this button. Thank you.