Common courtesy has died, R.I.P.

When I got my first "real" job as a management trainee at Bank One, I had a great boss who taught me so much about customer service. One of the lessons had to do with being responsive to customer inquiries and requests, be that an internal customer (employee) or an external customer. She taught me that I should return phone messages within 24 hours, 48 hours at the latest. She would explain: "When people call, they have a question that needs answered or a problem that needs to be solved. You want to be known as the 'go-to' person for answers. It will increase your value to the organization and earn you respect."

That lesson has always stuck with me. I have extended that rule to e-mails as well (e-mail did not exist back in the day of my first real job). When people send you an e-mail or leave you a voice message... reply or return the call. It's not a hard concept. Even if you don't know the answer, reply and tell them you don't know the answer but you'll look into it and commit to a date/time when they should hear back from you.

I recall a time when I submitted a request to my boss to do something... not once... but twice. He never extended the courtesy to even acknowledge the receipt of the request, much less give me an answer. After a lengthy waiting period, I implemented the plan I had submitted to him. When he learned I had taken action without his approval he became angry and I got into trouble. I explained that I had submitted several requests to him. He acknowledged recieving each of them and told me that by not replying, that was his way of telling me "no" to my request. I thought to myself... "You have got to be kidding me?!" To ignore me is to say no? That may be among the poorest examples of communications and leadership I had witnessed. I learned a lot about him that day. I never trusted him again and eventually I left the company because I could not work for a person I did not trust or respect.

Extend some common courtesy. If someone contacts you and requests the answer to a question, an approval to take some action, or a request for help. Reply! It's not that hard to do. It will increase your value and earn you respect.