How remote colleagues perceive you

February 13, 2001 —

By Maureen Sullivan, CareerJournal.com

As if a manager's job isn't tough enough, we now often have to do it virtually, that is, by e-mail. Flexible work schedules, globalization, telecommuting and other modern-day work practices make e-mail the medium of choice for communicating managerial messages, agendas and expectations. This means managers need to communicate without the benefit of body language, facial expression, intonation and other nonverbal cues that safeguard against misunderstandings. Add to the mix our tendency to believe that others process information and communicate the way we do, and we're tiptoeing through a communications minefield without interpersonal or emotional Geiger counters to gauge the reactions of our readers.

The good news is that you can improve your e-mail effectiveness by understanding your own communication style as well as those of your subordinates, superiors and peers. Learning to "speak their language" will help you get your message across with accuracy, understanding and unquestioned purity of intention.

The first step is learning to recognize your and others' personality types. Psychologist Carl Jung taught that there are four basic personality types: thinkers, feelers, sensers and intuitors.

Thinkers are those for whom a sense of order, logic and sound reasoning are necessary ingredients to communicating. For the thinker, alternatives are always considered before arriving at a decision. Thinkers take time for reflection and can separate emotion from fact. At their worst, they can come across as unbending, rigid and unfeeling. Their e-mail can be seen by other styles as needlessly lengthy and detailed.

Feelers are the thinkers' psychological opposites. They're people-centered and have a deep sense of loyalty. Feelers care about the way processes are implemented, because they're sensitive to the reactions of others. They're challenged when they're required to implement procedures that have a negative consequence on co-workers and can be seen as too "soft" to make hard decisions. They've been known to forward chain e-mail and inspirational messages.

Sensers are fact-based action people. They need to see legitimate evidence before they make a move. Sensers don't have hunches. "Where's the beef?" and "Show me the money" are phrases that resonate with them. When asked: "When do you need this?" their reply is often: "Yesterday." Sensers can be seen as blunt, insensitive, "bulls in a china shop" and short on patience. They have been known to send e-mail in ALL CAPS.

Intuitors are the psychological opposites of sensers; they frequently see things that others miss. They are "big picture" visionaries who loathe detail. Intuitors believe that others also can see the future and can "connect the dots" in the same way they do. Their leaps of logic in e-mail can cause dizzying reactions from their senser, feeler and thinker colleagues.

While most people incorporate all four styles in varying degrees, one usually predominates. Which best matches your preferred style? Which best matches the styles of your peers, subordinates and superiors? You likely work well with those whose style preference matches yours. You might be having e-mail struggles with those whose style is opposite to yours. Unfortunately, many people with conflicting styles tend to misinterpret each others' messages because their approaches may seem to be a personal affront to their own style preference.

Consider a young insurance professional in New York who e-mailed a brief start-work order to a colleague in Cincinnati. It involved a complicated information-technology problem that needed an immediate resolution. "I don't know what I did wrong," he says. "When I phoned because I had no response to my e-mail, her supervisor answered and told me that it would take a few weeks for the colleague to cool down before I'd get the response I needed." A look at his e-mail showed he didn't use a greeting, nor the words "please" and "thank you." He's a "senser," and he believed he used courtesy and businesslike efficiency by not cluttering his message with unnecessary or transparently insincere pleasantries. After all, they were both busy people with a serious task to complete, he reasoned.

Unfortunately, his Cincinnati colleague is a "feeler." The incident illustrates the importance of accommodating a recipient's communications style. It's not just a matter of good electronic etiquette, it's good business.

To boost the effectiveness of your electronic communications, first identify the personality types of your e-mail recipients. When sending to the following types, consult these tips before clicking the send button.

Thinkers: Be sure that the message is logical and fact-based and that you support your suggestions with relevant data. Demonstrate that you've considered alternatives before you arrived at your recommendations. Above all, be fair and don't cloud your message with emotion.

Feelers: Include a greeting and a cordial closing. Feelers appreciate messages that are values-based and people-sensitive. They respect tradition and will be receptive to hard or bad news if they know issues important to them were considered before a decision was made.

Sensers: Get right to the point. Sensers appreciate messages that can be measured rather than felt. Use bullet points and make suggestions for possible actions. Practicality and a sense of urgency are key.

Intuitors: You're writing to an idea person who's a forward-thinking individual. Appeal to his or her sense of originality by using a novel approach. Include these types in your buddy lists when changes need to be implemented or when piloting a new program or product. Praise their worthwhile suggestions.

What if you don't know the recipient well or are sending an e-mail to a group? Nobody ever accused Mother Teresa of being too strong a feeler, nor Henry Kissinger of being too much of a thinker. And history has been kind to Thomas Edison and General Patton in describing their intuitor and senser styles. Their strengths overshadow their short suits. Take your lead from them and be known for your strengths.

The following tips will help you improve your communication skills whether you're online or in-person, at the office or at home.

Identify your own personality style from the descriptions above and avoid the negative traits ascribed to it.
Take into account the positive aspects of the other person and use them to get your point across.
Take your lead from the other person when possible.

As a manager, these guidelines will help you to relate to your staff and enhance your reputation as being imaginative, fair, sensitive and decisive.

-- Ms. Sullivan is a director of DBM Publishing, a division of Drake Beam Morin, a human-resource consulting firm based in Boston. She's co-author of "E-Speak: Everything You Need to Know Before You Hit the Send Button" (DBM Publishing, 2000).

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