Should I ring right now?
by Jack Large
So there I was with a minor problem which needed a 5 minutes chat or even 10 minutes - but no more - discussion with her/him. If I couldn’t resolve this soon, it will delay me/the project for ‘quite a while.’
What do I do? Ring immediately or send an email or even, if it is more urgent/they are hooked on their mobile, send a text?
But ring direct? Not sure about doing direct/ringing without warning is OK anymore.
They are too busy
Some people are too busy, e.g. the corporate treasurer who resents people who ring him directly without agreeing on a slot. I.e. giving him notice. Some of this reluctance is because he can prepare a little or a lot, some are that interruptions delay other projects/tasks. Today ringing immediately is unwelcome for many.
They are too important
Your boss’s boss is probably OK – particularly if it saves time on a key project. But make sure she/he knows how important it is?
Ringing your CEO is probably not a good idea, but some like it, e.g. Steve Jobs welcomed informed calls (he felt it kept him in contact with what was going on). But waste Steve’s time with a spurious/useless call – NO WAY.
Back to my problem
He is a mate, really busy, really successful and loves chatting (as I do), but he’s busy and his business is expanding fast, so there is little time for anything else. What did I do?
I emailed him and asked, “When can we chat.”
CTMfile take: I miss the spontaneity of just picking up the phone and chatting, but would it be better? I really don’t know, but I don’t like it.
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