Resolving E-mail Battles

Guest post by: Robert Whipple
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Situational Transparency - By Robert Whipple

We have all seen the kind of battles that can rage on for days or even weeks in endless strings of e-mails. If you are a manager or leader, how can you coach the warring individuals to take their squabble offline and stop entertaining the rest of the office while simultaneously wasting resources?

The first step is to have people recognize when an e-mail battle is going on. Any time more than three e-mails on the same topic go back and forth between two individuals, it is time to pick up the phone or walk down the hall to resolve the issue off line.

If you were in a leadership position and received copies of warring notes, how could you intervene without causing further hard feelings? How can you maintain or build trust when both parties are going at each other so aggressively? My guess is that any attempt to intervene in an e-mail would increase the rancor. In a case like this, you should get both parties to sit down and state their beliefs as rationally as possible. Depending on the severity of the rift, you would need to assess the depth of the needed intervention. If the problem is caught early, the parties may be able to come to a resolution rather simply. Let them know that it is OK if they agree to disagree. They can still respect one another and work well together, even if they have differing views on a specific topic.

If the problem is more imbedded or has spread to other individuals or groups, serious action will be necessary. This might take the form of some individual counseling followed by serious teambuilding work. It may be necessary to do a complete organization development intervention. The situation and individuals will be the determining factor in any corrective action.

The best advice is to have people in your group self govern themselves on this issue. If you teach people to not "take the bait," you can reduce the number of arguments substantially.

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Situational Transparency - By Robert Whipple

About the Author: Robert Whipple

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Robert Whipple is CEO of Leadergrow Incorporated, an organization dedicated to development of leaders. He has spoken on leadership topics and the development of trust in numerous venues across the country. He is author of three leadership books: The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals, Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online, and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind. His ability to communicate pragmatic approaches to building Trust in an entertaining and motivational format has won him top ranking wherever he speaks. Audiences relate to his material enthusiastically because it is simple, yet profound. His work has earned him the popular title of The TRUST Ambassador. Mr. Whipple has been published in several Leadership and Training journals including Leadership Excellence Magazine and T+D Training + Development Journal. He is a frequent contributor to The Rochester Business Journal. He has been named one of the top 50 thought leaders on the topic of leadership development by Leadership Excellence Magazine and one of the top 100 Thought Leaders on Trustworthy Business Practices by Trust Across America. Mr. Whipple has a BSME, MSChE, MBA and is a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP). Contact at www.leadergrow.com or 585-392-7763
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