Our Timely Responses Reflect Our Respect

We wrote a short article last week about our responsibility to be responsive to our people – timely responses!

We received many replies to this article, many the same day the article was posted. People wanted to acknowledge the importance of this principle, that prompt responses, even if not convenient for us, are our duty and that it makes a difference to our people. 

The following are principles and practices of some of the effective leaders who responded to last week’s article.

Johnny Williams, Vice Chairman of UBS, a large global financial institution, said “This is an essential practice I have always taken seriously.  It is amazing how much people appreciate a quick response, even if it’s not the response they were hoping for. I have a policy of responding to 100% of inbound emails within 24 hours, and try to respond to most of them within an hour.  In this connected world we live in, it’s not that difficult to find the 30 seconds most emails require.”

I applaud Johnny Williams’ approach. No wonder he is so highly regarded.

Some leaders designate specific times in the morning and afternoon to respond to calls and emails, and specific times for meetings, initiating check ins with their team members, walking the halls, and their other responsibilities. 

Regardless of the approach, we must respond to our people on a timely basis.

Sally Seppanen, a colleague and a par excellence leadership coach, emailed that our timely responses are a great trust builder and sign of respect. Yet, too often managers fail to get back to their people and this has an adverse effect on morale.

Jennifer Young, who has an important role with Girls Scouts of America and is dedicated to helping young girls gain confidence and a readiness to step up to achieve their potential, reported that at Girl Scouts there is a policy about responding to emails within 48 hours. And Jennifer emphasizes that this principle is not limited to responses to our managers. We owe this respect to all of our colleagues.

One of the very best leaders I know is Fr. Bob Lawton, a Jesuit priest, formerly President of Loyola Marymount University and previous to that, Dean of the College at Georgetown University, mentioned that this is one of his “hot buttons”, that when people, be they professional colleagues or friends, do not get back to him, he automatically assumes they are mad at him. This is a feeling Fr. Bob should not have, as anyone who knows him, knows one could never be mad at him as he a kind, supportive leader and person who is all about serving others.

Another highly capable executive wrote us to report that in her previous job the person to whom she reported rarely replied, and as a result, she felt unimportant. This led her to leave the company. Believe me, they lost a highly capable executive.

All too frequently, in facilitating 360 leadership and corporate culture assessments we hear “I do not think my boss values me as I usually have to follow up when I reach out to him/her, often several times.” Clearly this adversely affects morale and ultimately the quality of work.

This is written simply to validate as previously offered, that our prompt responses to our people, people of all levels, is our duty as a leader and is a matter of our respect for those with whom we work.