“People may hear your words but they feel your attitude.”

~ John C. Maxwell

It amazes me that despite all of the powerful social technologies at our disposal (email, text, IM, blogs) we seem more disconnected than ever before. Electronic communication dominates both our business and personal interactions, yet social media often makes us far less social than the real thing.

So how do we build genuine, collaborative, loyal and trusting relationships? A strategy that has been very effective for us at SportsArt is what we call “let’s talk.” The concept is simple. If an email is over three paragraphs, pick up the phone or go see that person. Think about it: if a topic warrants that size of narrative, then it most likely deserves a focused discussion. It’s been proven time and time again, there simply is no substitute for face-to-face relationship building.

If you can’t get face-to-face there are few ways to stay mindful when communicating digitally:

1. Remove the emotion and focus on the facts.
2. Address the issue up front.
3. Don’t hide behind your devices. Find a way to connect on a human level. Good leadership requires relationship building with your team and customers.
4. Follow-up. It’s easy to write a great email outlining what you are going to do. It’s even more critical that you back it up with real action.
5. Make sure the communication flows both ways.

If I send an email on a tough subject, I follow it up with a call or visit with that person that begins with “hey, did you get my email?” In many cases email allows you to lay out the facts from your perspective, allows the recipient to digest your point of view and sets a firm foundation for a productive face-to-face conversation. The leaders of tomorrow will be those individuals who artfully incorporate the new tools to enhance, not replace, genuine face-to-face relationship building.