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2014-01-10 07:42:34
If you ve ever winced at an errant tweet you just sent or felt a wave of worry
about wearing the wrong thing in the office or caught your breath after sending
off a too-casual email, you know it can be easy to find yourself paralysed for
some time afterward. Unsure about whether you might make the same error again,
you carefully monitor your words and actions.
But maybe you shouldn t be so concerned, say several LinkedIn Influencers in
their posts this week. Here s what some of them had to say about abandoning
fear of making a mistake, why bad email etiquette can actually be a good thing
(in certain circumstances) and how taking a chance at bending the rules can
create fresh, new rules in the office.
Gary Vaynerchuk, chief executive and co-founder of Vayner Media
I am never scared of doing the wrong thing. I'm never scared of tweeting the
wrong thing. I'm never scared of promoting too much, wrote Vaynerchuk in his
post How to Never be Scared of Doing the Wrong Thing. Why? It's simple:
Because I'll apologise if I feel like I was wrong.
Intent trumps everything when it comes to actions and words, he wrote. That s
particularly important, he wrote, when you are still examining new ways to
present information.
There is more value in my continuing to test and be smart than there would be
if I were crippled by the fear of doing the wrong thing, he wrote, adding that
apologising is better than letting fear take hold and doing nothing.
I think it's simple. If you're willing to respect the people who disrespect or
criticise you, and engage in an honest, open dialogue with them, you can't
lose, Vaynerchuk wrote. Especially when you really meant no harm or ill will
in your actions.
Kevin Roose, writer at New York Magazine
In most business situations, it s helpful to abide by the time-tested rules of
communication proper spelling and grammar, courtesy and professionalism,
wrote Roose in his post How Spelling Mistakes and Bad Email Etiquette Can Help
You Get Ahead. But there s another approach that can be even better when you
re trying to impress someone.
Roose calls it strategic sloppiness . The higher up the ladder you are at the
office, the more license you re allowed to take with the rules of professional
communication, he wrote. As the boss, you can make as many mistakes as you
want. Cutting corners is a time-saving mechanism that doubles as a display of
dominance.
But, he wrote, in some limited instances, even non-CEOs can also benefit from
bending the rules. He cited the example of Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel s
surprisingly casual response to an email from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg s email to 22-year-old Spiegel praised Snapchat which wasn t a
household name at the time and expressed his desire to meet the young
entrepreneur one-on-one at Facebook s offices.
Most experienced professionals would probably advise you to write a
courteous e-mail back, perhaps one that starts Dear Mr. Zuckerberg, and
(say) that yes, you d absolutely love to meet with him at his earliest
opportunity, wrote Roose.
But that s not what Spiegel did. Instead he tapped out a shockingly casual
e-mail on his iPhone: Thanks :) would be happy to meet I ll let you know
when I make it up to the Bay Area, according to Roose.
Speigel s email has been called cocky and arrogant. And it was, Roose wrote.
But it was also brilliant. By one-upping Zuckerberg's breezy, informal style
in his reply, Spiegel positioned himself as the CEO's equal.
Such strategic sloppiness doesn t work all of the time. The ultra-casual
approach works best when the person you re emailing is already familiar with
you and your work, and interested in you for a job or a new project. It s risky
with strangers and riskier yet with bosses, Roose wrote. When using the
tactic, don t go overboard, he wrote. The goal here is to appear important,
not incompetent.
Jeff Haden, ghostwriter and owner of BlackBird Media
Once upon a time I single-handedly killed a dress code, wrote Haden in his
post How to Make Your Own Rules at Work.
He had taken a job as a manufacturing manager and at first wore khakis and
dress shirts, like all the other managers. But about a month into the job,
Haden told his boss he would be working on the shop floor the next day and he
wore jeans. He did the same a week later. Soon jeans once a week turned into
jeans twice a week which turned into all jeans, all the time... because I
became known for spending the majority of my time on the floor, Haden wrote.
During that same time period I was given additional responsibilities,
authority and pay. How was I able to increase my scope of responsibility while
decreasing my level of dress code conformity?, Haden wrote. Productivity was
up. Quality was up. Costs were down. Who could complain about the clothes I
wore?
How can you, too, make your own rules at work and get away with it?
To create your own rules, you must first perform at a consistently high level
and those rules must first benefit the company, not just you, Haden wrote.
The rules are always a little different for outstanding people. First prove
you're outstanding and then you can flex your well-earned rule-breaking
muscles.