Techno-Enabled Avoidance

Technology makes us more efficient, allowing us to connect easily and frequently with friends,family, and colleagues. But for how many professionals does it become a crutch that actually hobbles their ability to develop healthy business relationships?

I have personally witnessed all of these unfortunate real life scenarios enabled by technology:

• Colleagues in adjoining offices, firing emails back and forth to each other instead of getting out from behind their desks and having a face-to-face conversation.
• People failing to contribute in meetings because they are reading and responding to text messages on their cell phones instead.
• Mean-spirited, cowardly things written in email that the sender would never have the gall to say in person.
• People "multi-tasking" during a teleconference, because no one can see that they aren't truly engaged in the virtual gathering.
• Using Caller ID as a means to avoid business calls.
• Dialing into a meeting when you really should be there in person.
• Surfing the internet during a meeting (pretending to take notes on the proceedings). 
• An executive failing to connect in person with a direct report in the same office - for OVER A YEAR.

Beware of creating personal disconnects by using technology to avoid face-to-face contact. Instead... Go out of your way to meet colleagues in your office. Have a sit-down with your boss for a status update. Walk around the department and say good morning to your co-workers. Work through a challenge with someone, using a white board and markers. Invite a new employee out to lunch. Sit down and chat with the boss's administrative assistant. Carve out a little technology-free time to do some strategic thinking, and scribble some ideas in a notebook. Stick your head into the boss's office at around 5pm to have a chat. Provide casual, constructive feedback on performance to your employees (and NOT via email). Send a hand-written thank you card to a colleague or vendor. Smile at people you encounter in the office hallways.

Make time to temporarily turn your back on technology and tune in first-hand with the people around you. The quality of the relationships you build will improve, and pay dividends throughout your career.