The need to assess how effective your staff manage Emails ?

Everyday your inbox is being flooded with emails that tire your eyes while raising your blood pressure and killing more of your brain cells. Email exchanges that cc or bcc to you occasionally makes you wonder what your direct reports, and their clients, actually do for a living? We will irk those "FWD" mails linking you to long spools of detailed correspondence that you have zero desire, or need, to review or read. You are only just peeking into the abyss of digital dysfunction and human self mis-management. The bigger office communication picture may be even more disheartening or threatening.

It will soon be seen that the art of effective email exchange is going to lead to a critical success factor in business performance, therefore mismanagement of email may in fact be a symptom of weakness or poor operation of your organization.

Executive has no time (or obsessive-compulsive disorder) to review and edit their people's correspondence — it's not possible and it wouldn't be healthy in working organization. So how can management or HR department quickly and cheaply create the shock of self-consciousness to push their people to take the style and substance of their correspondence more seriously? And how can you find out the interoffice spam actually reflects a deeper issue of employee performance?

A possible approach is to make email an intrinsic part of performance reviews. Insist that colleagues and subordinates better evaluate their email so that you may better evaluate their performance. There are few better proxies for assessing how well individuals are communicating, on task and on target, than the digital transmittal they send in order to get their work done.

The key is to politely demand self-assessment and review. Ask people to present correspondence that demonstrate how well they've used the medium to manage successful outcomes. In other words, have them select examples illustrating their own email "best practices" for results. From here, we may find such assessment and prioritization procedure a lot to reveal and understand. Culling their email correspondence is a wonderful way for individuals to remember and reconnect with what they think works and what doesn't. Your ability to weigh their self-assessed success with your own experiences gives this simple technique particular power.

At one project review, every single example selected by one manager featured brief emails with large reports or presentations attached. Email is not a medium of communication; it is a tool for referral. The larger issue was that this person was so intent on being "comprehensive" that they avoided getting to the essence of what their colleagues asked for and needed in the moment. At another, the employee literally annotated and expanded upon the emails received; all the "best practice" emails were "responses" to others rather than ideas and solutions he initiated. These email styles raised larger and more important issues around performance and personal effectiveness. They likely would not have surfaced without the email self-assessment demand.

It's remarkable what can be discovered when people are asked to show examples of what they think they're doing well.

Some of us may not be so tech-naive to constrain this performance review technique to email alone. Firms using wikis, blogs, and other digital media for coordination and collaboration should similarly broaden the purview of their performance reviews. But it may be surprising that only a small handful of the managers and executives make this tactic a part of their assessment process.

Some have the opinion that many managers think that they already have adequate insight into the communications styles of colleagues and subordinates because of their own interactions with them. Or because they are cc:ed on correspondence that matters. We must not be shortsighted and misleading as the truth is that it is always important and relevant to learn how one's people rate and rank their own effectiveness. Of course, getting people to submit the "worst practices" and stupid emails they sent would truly be a fool's errand for a performance review. But gaining insight into your staff perceptions — quickly and cheaply — from the examples they themselves choose might strike you as an ideal way to improve one's own effectiveness as a communicator and leader.

Should we stop Email ?

In some ways, advance high-tech tools and software have evolved in a way that almost “kill us” or place the skilled working staff in a bind. Just look at the email conundrum. From the moment you reach office early in the morning, it seems the inbox is calling your name. And if you’re like most of us, you will reply the mails pretty quickly. It’s literally painful or you just feel uneasy not to download your email the moment you arrive at your desk in the morning. But once you’ve processed 50 to 100 emails, you probably have ruined your brain alertness or activity for higher level tasks that are going to create more productivity and output value.


A recent study done for HP found that “infomania” — a term connected with addiction to email and texting — could lower your IQ by twice as much as smoking. Moreover, email can raise the levels of adrenaline in your brain by constantly introducing new stimuli into your day. When those levels get too high, complex thinking may be more difficult, making it difficult for you to make decisions and solve problems — which is the main roles for people like us, managers.

Likely our brain’s capacity for decision-making evolved at a time when you had lesser stress or less to think about. Therefore, we may need to rethink and how to take control of our daily life with the potential of having our work activity flooded with more emails than required and not forgetting the nuisance of receiving unwanted spams, adverts, junk mails,etc. We need to :

Control our Inbox -

Try not to start your day downloading new mail automatically or, at the very least, turn off any alert system. Preferably, set a time to check for messages manually — preferably later in the day, after you’ve used your brainpower for more important stuff and project issues,etc.

Emails should be short, concise, and used only when a conversation is not an option. The easier communication is to digest, the more likely it is that the messages will be delivered effectively.

Some colleagues seem unable to help themselves. They send too many long emails; they gossip or forward jokes. Get them to divert their personal chatter online by allowing them to use social media at work (even if it’s just at set times of the day). Or the company has to step in and do something about access to external emails or limit the staff from engaging in unproductive stuff. I educate everyone who I communicate with and as a result, the emails I do receive are pertinent to me. I restructure those emails, copy them into ongoing documents, and try to keep my inbox low, create rules to purge those unwanted spams,etc,,

If you’re reaching a breaking point and if you need to,simply wipe your inbox to start afresh, but before you do it, scan through and make sure important ones are archive for action later. It seems drastic, but it can work. Send a message to all contacts letting them know what you’re planning. Try planning a new regime of folders and information-sharing disciplines

Relook at your prioritizing mails -

To help you prioritize, start by setting clear goals. Prioritizing is one of the brain’s most energy-hungry processes. That means it’s best done when your mind is fresh and well rested. Allocate time to order your thoughts —it won’t break the back of the work you need to cover.

Blindside the data -

Break down complex information into sub-groups. Once you’ve determined a goal, you can “chunk” your work into groups to achieve it. You can also do this with your to-do lists.

People are generally very bad at estimating when they’ll finish their own work, but good at guessing for others. So gauge your timing by using someone else’s experience. You’ll be less stressed if you’re realistic about your workload.

Try handle less -

To handle less, we should delegate more. Too many senior staff can’t resist the temptation personally to get involved in everything that’s affecting his department or section. But effective delegation means limiting the amount of information you have to process, as well as empowering those around you. Make use of your intelligent staff around you and get briefing and updates periodically.

Switch off -

Many managers feel they can’t shut off. In most cases, it just erodes your focus. You need time to synthesize information and generate real intelligence. That takes discipline, of course, but it’s useful to stop thinking when you are stuck on a project so your brain can recover. You do need to switch off and rebalance your brain chemistry if you’re going to come up with new ideas or solutions

Mistakes senior officers make with e-mail....

1. Using vague terms. Be clear about the subject, and update the subject heading line if needed.

2. Avoid using the BCC line. One of them is bound to reply all and your belittle act will be noticed one of these days.

3. Clean up the mail threads before adding to the mess and confusion with your next new reply.

4. Use of poor grammar and style. Do try to write in a professional way and not use broken English or Singlish…….

5. Avoid writing long winded e-mails. You may find people will not respond as your long email will either irritate or they do not have time to read.

6. Writing needlessly long, bulky paragraphs. Write in digestible para if you need to and be short and itemized so that readers find it easy to read and understand.

7. Do not forget mail courtesies. Always be polite and mention the “thank you” in public; but criticize,if need, in private one-to-one.

8. Other forms of communication might be better. You do still have a phone, right?

9. E-mail is legal document. An e-mail you write today is evidence in court and could be used as evidence in disputed cases.

Watch Out Your Net Reputation ! !

Those of you often keep posting your blogs, social networking, professional linking to others like using “Linkedin” are advised to manage your site and upkeeping your net reputation is crucial. And for those who are still in the job hunting days, you need to watch out as your potential hirer may check on your sites to find “tell-tale” signs of any of your “flaws” which may cost you your future landing of a job. Nowadays recruiters may spend some time and use search engine to learn more about candidates and some recruiters had eliminated candidates basing on information they found online and they may judge from there your character,etc. Self-Googling isn't an act of narcissism; it's a smart way to determine whether your online personality jives with how you fit into the potential employer’s portfolio and work environment.
Google ranks content according to relevance--how closely it resembles the search term--and popularity--how many other sites are linking to it. Say, if your name happened to be in a security service blotter or some lover's blog post, let alone a negative article in The Wall Street Journal, you have very little chance of getting that content removed from the Web. Google may not remove content just because you ask it to. Your best option is to overwhelm the bad content with the good, so that your embarrassing links are less likely to rank high. Focus on publishing content about yourself that you can control and do not over publicised and say things that reflect badly on you, portrays yourself in a positive light, never condemn or criticise others. If you are depress, do write something positive to show that you are able to overcome your whatever stresses,etc....
To ramp up your positive image in the Web, start with blogs and social networking sites. Create a profile on LinkedIn where you link with professionals and write about yourself in the third person so that the site will have more relevance in the eyes of a search engine. Don't overdo it on Twitter, since too many Tweets may make prospective employer question your focus at work. You can write about your area of expertise, post your resume and keep track of your professional accomplishments. Show off your expertise by writing guest articles on blogs that are relevant to your industry but be careful not to divulge any proprietary company information, else you get call up to the boss desk..

Web doppelgangers ( double-goer ) may muddle your online reputation. If there are a dozen people with your name, you can step up your search engine optimization efforts by adding more pages to your Web site (to increase relevance), or asking friends to link to your Web site (to increase popularity). If you're convinced that a future employer may confuse you with someone else, mention that person on your blog with a reference such as, "I'm not this Tom Harry, but it seems like he has a good pay position."
Once you've settled into a new job, continue monitoring your Web reputation by setting up a Google Alert with your name. Take the time to build up a positive Web ID. Go ahead and build that content now, before you need it, give that content time to percolate and move its way around the Web.

Tips on your Net reputation

- Aware How Others assess you online
Self-Googling isn't an act of narcissism; it's a smart way to determine whether your online personality jives with how you want the world to view you. Scour the web for mentions of your name.

- Be Prudent
Change your Facebook settings so that you're not inadvertently publicizing your private information, including status updates, photos and shared links

- Use Social sites to Your Advantage
Create a profile on LinkedIn and write about yourself in the third person so that the site will have more relevance in the eyes of a search engine.

- Create and control your web Content
Use free software like WordPress or TypePad to create a blog, where you can write about your area of expertise, post your resume and keep track of your professional accomplishments.

- Position Yourself
Show off your expertise by writing guest articles on blogs that are relevant to your industry.

- Beware of Those with similar names
If there are a dozen people with your name, you can step up your search engine optimization efforts by adding more pages to your web site (to increase relevance), or asking friends to link to your Web site (to increase popularity). If you're convinced that a future employer may confuse you with someone else, mention that person on your blog with a reference such as, "I'm not this Tom Jones, but it seems like he has a cool job."

- Pay Attention to Your Web ID
Set up a Google alert for your name, so you know whenever something new appears online that could affect your online reputation.


More on ways to upkeep your web repute :

• Use your professional name. And if you’re a lady who has taken her husband’s name, do the Facebook trick of including your maiden name to make it easier for colleagues and friends to find you.


• Use a professional photoshot. Not a snapshot while on vacation or using a cheap handphone set with low megapixel.

• Add a Professional Headline. You can find it on the Edit My Profile page. It should be a short and sharp, one-line bio. Never self-profess unemployed in the headline as that may indicate you are desperate.

• Be precise on your past positions. Be specific about what activities you do that best represent your present and future career.

• Describe your Web site or blog. Don’t list the name of the site, which is probably somewhat vague. Get right to the point by describing its function.

• Request recommendations. It’s okay to ask people for recommendations — seek out people that would complement your goals.

Dark Side of Internet

'The Internet has transformed how we live, work and play. Imagine what life would be like if tomorrow we were deprived of e-mail, sites like YouTube or tools like Google Search.'


The dark side of internet

Ease of accessibility of information for the picking is not always a good thing.

Just as companies and organisations use social networking to advertise, hackers and con men have been quick on the uptake - using spams attack on millions of users to trick them into revealing their user names and passwords.

A common ploy by hackers, for example, is to send Facebook messages to a victim's list of friends, claiming the person is stranded and asking for money to help him or her.

The porn industry, frequently a far-sighted and early adopter of new technologies, has also pushed adult entertainment increasingly into the mainstream via the Internet. Though the authorities try to block them as much as they could, few will somehow slip through the checks and continue to take advantage of the "young and green" net users unaware of such scams.

In the workplace, employees have been caught red-handed when their Facebook accounts showed photos of them out having fun when they were supposed to have reported sick,etc.  Some major companies have already block such access in offices and staff are not allowed to get "hook".

A survey of 1,460 office workers in Britain earlier this year found that half of them visited social networking sites during office hours, spending an average of 40 minutes a week, posting sensitive information, and costing £1.38 billion (S$3.1 billion) in lost work hours.

Then there are the many humiliated people who have had compromising photos or information of themselves posted online, or others who were victims of online sexual harassment or cyber-bullying.

In one of the most notorious of such cases in 2006, 13-year-old American Megan Meier killed herself after being taunted online. Her friend's mother had created a fake persona of a male teenager online to torment her, because she thought Megan was gossiping about her daughter.

Spending too much time on such sites can also be damaging, leading to addiction problems and anti-social behaviour, said psychologists, who are already seeing such numbers picking up.

Young net users admit to spending hours a day surfing and playing computer games and seems to create social disadvantages to these youngsters.
'We have countless online friends but fewer real ones. We have so many activities in cyberspace but spend even more time alone. The Internet has brought people closer, and pulled them further apart, than ever before.'

It will be difficult to predict what will happen over the next 10 years, say the experts, computing speeds will be even faster.

'Imagine downloading a whole movie in a minute or so. Access will also become even more mobile, so that even more of what you get on your PC will be available on handheld gadgets like phones.'

Companies are also looking at areas such as how best to track eye movements so as to assess search efficiency, online advertisements and navigation, or how to search images based on visual characteristics instead of text tags.

Let's hope there will some kind of literacy or educational means of maintaining the net users and guiding them along the path without having to overindulging and use of the computer or netbook.