Responsiveness

Doing one simple thing can help you stand our among your peers and competitors, while also improving your relationships - both professional and personal. No matter where you work, or whether you are still in school; if you volunteer at a Not-for-Profit or at a community organization; own a small business, or work at large corporation; or belong to a hobby group; you can do one simple thing to stand out among your colleagues, peers, and competitors. What is it?

Respond.

That’s it. Respond. Be responsive.

In an increasingly connected world, there is relatively little ‘new under the sun’, but you can differentiate yourself from the crowd by simply being responsive.

Look – I’m not pretending that I’m the first one to make this point, but if experience is any indication, many people continue to struggle with this very basic act.

Think about the time you tried scheduling a contractor for a project at home – and the genuine surprise you felt (if you were fortunate) when the person returned your call, or more likely the frustration (if you weren’t), as you left message after message.

A friend of mine recently needed a floor refinished at his newly purchased home, but after agreeing to a job with a contractor onsite, he found himself having to hire someone else because the original contractor simply wouldn’t call him back. The company lost not only the original project, but any subsequent work or referral jobs.

“I meant to call back, but I’m too busy” – you say.

Again – I’m not breaking any news by saying this – we all have the same 24 hours in each day. By choosing not to respond in a particular situation you’re simply deciding that situation is not a priority for you. Maybe that’s fine, but be careful that your actions align with your actual priorities. If you find yourself so harried and disorganized that you are unable to be responsive, you risk damaging meaningful personal and professional relationships at the expense of trivial interactions.

Stop prioritizing things that detract from your true priorities and you’ll have time to deal with the meaningful things in your life. By doing this one simple thing you’ll notice improved interaction in all your relationships, professional and personal (no more awkward Thanksgiving Dinners…).

I’m not suggesting you drop everything each time the phone rings or for each app notification. If you are truly busy, simply acknowledge the call, email, text, etc. and request a better time to follow up. You will find that most people will be perfectly happy to reschedule, satisfied in simple acknowledgement of their contact. This goes both ways – people will be also more likely to help you if they’re not spending all their time tracking you down.

We've all had experiences where simple responsiveness helped to land a project, or avoid potentially damaging misunderstandings. And unfortunately, I'm guessing many of you have been frustrated by a lack of responsiveness - it may have even contributed to a larger problem. Feel free to share any stories in the comments. I'll respond - I promise.