I don’t even know how to leave an “Out Of The Office” message on my email. Email and texting are the ways that people communicate today, like it or not. I am sure that when the telephones came out it was a big pain in the neck to get calls at any time of day. When I see one of those messages like, “I am out of the office and will not have access to email, ” I wonder where in the world is this person. When I was in the middle of Alaska I had to drive into town to get a signal which I did daily. When I was in the jungle of Cambodia I had a signal stronger than the one I get at my home in Orlando.
It would be better to just put a message on your email that read, ” I am too stressed out and can’t take it anymore so I am only answering emails from loved ones and others that I deem important.” Or put, ” I am away from the office and will check my email a few times a day since I am rafting down a white water rapids and will have to wait until I get into a signal range.
I just read an article titled, “Leadership is a contact sport.” This simply means that leaders are in contact and available to their followers 24/7. Leadership comes with responsibility. Responsibility is being available to assist people when they need you and that can be at any moment. As far as being a contact sport, make sure you are seeing your people face to face. You can not lead your team or your children with an iPad.
More and more these days I see these “Out of office” messages on emails. If you are a leader, you should not go to places where you can not be reached unless you have left behind an excellent replacement for you that has the authority to make decisions and is available and that is what you should put on your email message. For your children that can be a grandparent or a trusted neighbor.
Have a good day everyone…….Lee