Your 11 PM Email Doesn't Make You a Hero
Let me tell you something my father has been saying for years, and something corporate India refuses to learn: there is a massive difference between activity and effectiveness. Activity is the guy running laps in the office pantry. Effectiveness is the guy who actually closed the deal and went home at 5. One of them is sweating. The other is sleeping well. The Great Reply-All Civilization Picture this. A company-wide email goes out. Minor update. Twelve slides. A footer nobody reads. Within the hour, forty-three people have hit Reply All with "Noted," "Thanks," "Received," and my personal favorite "Thank you for sharing this valuable insight." Nobody has done anything. But there has been tremendous activity . This is the corporate version of a chicken running after its head has been cut off. Lots of movement. Zero direction. Very loud. Meanwhile, the one person who actually needed to act on that email is on slide three, mildly confused, and wai...