e-Ubuntu, Baby!
The African philosophy of ubuntu focuses on people’s relations and allegiances with each other.
“A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Proper email etiquette stimulates ubuntu… that wonderful allocentric buy-in of your people. Proper email etiquette helps create a safer, more productive and compassionate corporate community, within and without.
Ubuntu has become my communication criteria, - and, more specifically, my emailing criteria. For example, I am learning to review my emails carefully before I send them. I check the tone, the wording, and the necessity of the email before I send. Because I belong to a greater whole, I want to respect my colleagues’ time by refraining from unnecessary emailing. Because I truly want to be open and available, I ask myself if an email, a meeting, or a phone conversation is the best approach.
Everyday brings valuable new lessons in how to communicate better with my colleagues, my clients, and my friends. e-Ubuntu, baby!
Guest blogger: Jennifer Gordon of EmailAtoZ. Contact her at jennifer@emailatoz.com for more information on bringing email excellence to your company!
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