How To Eliminate Rude, Bossy & Passive Aggressive Email Tone

Most of us don’t mean to write rude, bossy and passive aggressive email, but it happens.

Thankfully there are easy ways to eliminate rude, bossy and passive aggressive email tone and instead use our email and text messages to build high-quality and highly productive relationships.

Tone is one of the most important parts of our email or text messages. Why? Because tone influences what our readers understand and how they feel about us. Our tone also influences our readers motivation to do what we are asking. We choose to be respectful, thoughtful and considerate… or not.

We often don’t take a moment to consider if we are writing rude, bossy and passive aggressive email and text message. Unfortunately, by not investing those few seconds, the compounding impact of all of our messages likely is having a negative impact on our personal and professional reputation not to mention increased stress and even lower productivity for everyone.

We choose the type of relationships we have

There are two kinds of relationships we choose have with others. We choose to have trusting, respectful, thoughtful and mutually beneficial relationships, or we choose to build frustrating, rude and stressful relationships.

Respect, appreciation and being treated with kindness are important building blocks of loyal work relationships. You know from your own experience that when you feel respected and appreciated you will usually make sure you do your very best, go the extra mile and even go our of your way to work with that other person. Alternatively, when we feel disrespected, even the most capable and creative of us will often deliver a ‘Meets Expectations’ performance and have a ‘Do what I’m asked – nothing more’ attitude. For this reason (and others), a bossy or aggressive writer doesn’t only cause stress and frustration for others when they write disrespectful, rude and/or passive aggressive messages; they also create stress and frustration for themselves.

So, how can you keep your messages from sounding rude, bossy, self-important, disrespectful and passive aggressive?

1.     Be polite.

People deserve to feel respected even if they are getting a paycheque. I don’t mean waste time with lots of social niceties. In fact, getting to the point is critical and something everyone prefers.

Being polite and respectful is one of the top values people say they appreciate in others. So, this means use words like Hi, Hello, Please and Thank You. It’s natural and polite to walk into someone’s office or call them on the phone and say, “Hi Bruce”. So why not when we email?

For example, if you were to receive the following message – especially if it was unexpected, you could easily interpret it as rude, bossy and disrespectful.

“What is the pricing on the XYZ account and when is the renewal date?”

This next version isn’t perfect, but it does sound less aggressive, more polite and more respectful… just by saying Hi, using their name and saying thanks.

“Hi Jessy,

What is the pricing on the XYZ account and when is the renewal date?

Thanks”

The one variation on this rule is if you and I write to each-other all day long. In this case, as long as you and I have talked – literally talked and agree that saying “Hi” and “thanks, isn’t necessary, then it is OK to drop it (but it may still be nice to add ‘Hi Bruce, hope you had a great weekend” at the end of our first email on a Monday morning).

2.     Manage other peoples expectations… and our own expectations.

There is nothing worse than interrupting what you are doing or rescheduling a meet because your boss sent you what sounds like an urgent request, only to find out when you deliver it that they didn’t need it for a day or two… or three. It often leaves us feeling manipulated and that our bosses don’t respect us and the time we dedicate to scheduling our commitments.

The solution is to be crystal clear and always include:

• What you need (likely you already do this)

• When you need it (helps others prioritize their schedule)

• Why you need it (helps others prioritize and often helps them determine how to format what they send to you)

• What you understand (helps everyone be clear about what each of us understand)

• What you will do (helps us not duplicate work… or worse yet miss something that needs to be done)

Using the example from point #1, the following is an even better way to build trusting, respectful, mutually beneficial relationships within a short message while we also manage other peoples expectations… and our own.

“Hi Jessy,

Please let me know by 10AM tomorrow the pricing on the XYZ account and when the renewal date is so I can include it in the proposal that is due at noon. If you need additional resources please let me know.

Thanks.”

The added benefit of the approach of this short, two-sentence email is that besides being polite, it tells Jessy what you need, when you need it and why it is important you get it by 10AM. It clearly manages Jessy’s expectations and your own. And, while you could eliminate the second sentence and still be OK, I do like it because it gives Jessy some control because it provides an opportunity to let you know if they need additional support. 

3.     Let someone know when they did a good job.

Again, you may be emailing or texting someone you pay, but everyone wants to know the work they are doing is important and they made a difference. So consider adding a line like “Those are exactly the numbers I needed.” Or “That presentation deck looks great”.

Be assured I am not recommending we praise others every time they do something, but every once in a while I urge you to recognize their work. Your 5-second investment from time to time will create positive energy and goodwill that cannot be measured.   

4.     Remember you are writing to someone else.

Most of us write as if we are writing to ourselves – with our own priorities, needs and experience but even if we are working in the same department it is likely that our priorities are different.

Example 1. Your priority may be to get a marketing forecast out by end of week, while mine is to balance my advertising spend for one of our biggest clients.

Example 2. You may have lots of industry experience and knowledge while I may be new or from a different department so don’t understand all that is involved and who to include when you ask for a ‘Agile Project Forecast’.

Example 3. Your ‘quick question’ may not have a ‘quick answer’. You may think the answer is simple, but I need to organize input from three different departments to get you the answer.

So when you are writing to someone else always try to be aware of the other peoples experience, understanding of industry language and priorities. And as I mentioned above, be sure to consider manage expectations as outlined in point 2 including providing others an opportunity to ask questions or give you feedback.

5.     Keep from sounding passive aggressive.

So far we’ve talked a lot about tone, so now lets focus in on passive aggressive messages.

I have a relative who is the queen of passive aggressive. She always seems to have an alternative motive or double meaning. The sad part is even when she isn’t being passive aggressive the rest of the family are wondering “What does she really mean?” or “What does she really want?” That is not the reputation you want to build for yourself.

Sounding passive aggressive is a bit habit forming; some people do it without even realizing it. And, expecting certain people to be passive aggressive is also habit forming. For example, if I expect you to be passive aggressive – or even rude or bossy, unless you are really careful I will always interpret your messages that way. Fortunately, people can unlearn bad habits and can rebuild their reputation.

The best way to avoid sounding passive aggressive is to re-read your messages. Ask yourself, if you were to receive it, would you be taken back? If you have the slightest feeling it is, rewrite.

That said, here are a few of my favourite passive aggressive approaches to avoid.

A: Stop asking the same question over and over. Just because you want a different answer, asking me again and again isn’t going to change reality.

B: “As per my last email”. You can hear the writers’ attitude. Perhaps it is frustration in repeating themselves over and over… or perhaps they are angry about something and someone else… but if you write it, know it will likely negatively impact your relationship with that person and perhaps others who see that email.

C: “No doubt you are aware”. This is about as blatantly passive aggressive as you can get. If someone missed something it’s right to bring their attention to it but, you don’t have to be insulting – even if they did overlook it on purpose. Remember, other people may read your message at some point and not know the whole story.

D: “For future reference” can be interpreted in many ways. Often, it means “don’t bother me again when the solution is obvious if you gave it a second of thought or did your job.” It’s worth noting that what is obvious to you may not be to me. I may be in another department, new, under extremely tight deadlines or perhaps my boss is asking me to send this and I really wish I didn’t have to. So next time – do your own reputation a favour and leave out these three words. “Here is where you will find files on this topic,” is much more friendly than “For future reference, here is where you will find files on this topic,”.

E: “Thanks in advance” is one of my least favourite statements. For the few times I receive it, it is usually followed by a request that is not my responsibility, the bottom of my priority list or junk email.

6.     When you ask for a meeting, be prompt with the start and stop time.

I know this doesn’t have anything to do with tone in writing; unfortunately running over timelines happens all too often, causing major frustration with employees, coworkers and suppliers. It is also passive aggressive behaviour so I thought I would include it.

Nowadays many of us have back to back online meetings using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. We go directly from one meeting to another with no break. Showing respect for others means we start meetings on time. It also means we end meetings on time… or early (imagine that). If we are a meeting organizer or presenter and force 10 coworkers and other department heads to wait for us because we are 5-minutes late, that means we just cost our company 50-minutes of productivity. If this happens routinely we build a reputation as selfish, entitled, disorganized and even unaware of how hard others are working.

Key time management and reputation saving tip is to start meetings on time and be sure to cover the critical elements first. Then, if there is time go ahead and discuss topics that are not part of the agenda and meeting purpose. Too often the reverse is done and the real meeting agenda is squeezed into the last 10-minutes and we find we are late for our next meeting.

Whether you make $30,000 or $300,000 respect the people you work with and yourself.

Conclusion:

Turning the table for a moment, when you receive a rude, bossy and passive aggressive email or text message, there is always a way to reply and not join their club. Unfortunately, when we respond using passive aggressive phrases, that will reflect back on us. Remember, it’s all about your brand and your reputation; if someone is being ridiculous, foolish or unprofessional that is all about them and their reputation. And, when we keep ourselves under control and professional – especially at those times – people will notice… and that is a good thing for us.

For everyone else, it’s always important to remember that tone is always one of the most important parts of our email or text messages. The examples I’ve shared here are some of the most effective ways to eliminate rude, bossy and passive aggressive email tone from our messages and instead use our email and text messages to build trusting, respectful, mutually beneficial relationships.

So, as you move forward writing email and text messages I hope you routinely take a moment to consider how others will interpret your messages. The few seconds you spend getting into the habit of writing great messages will save you countless time and help you build a personal and professional reputation you can be proud of.

Thank you for reading about how to eliminate rude, bossy and passive aggressive email tone from your writing.

Bruce

About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.

Bruce is Corporate Trainer, Keynote Speaker and Executive Coach.

Bruce Mayhew Consulting specializes in customized Difficult Conversations, Crucial Conversations or Conflict Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences, Time Management Training and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.

Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.

Creating a Multi-Generational Workplace Culture

Everyone wants to know they are a valued part of the team regardless of what generation they belong to. And because generational differences of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z employees matter when creating a healthy multi-generational workplace, I thought I would take a moment to discuss how generational differences often influence the way your employees may or may not respond four important motivators.

I also want to point out that besides generational differences, there are many other variables including gender differences, ethnic and cultural differences, feelings of trust and respect that are also incredibly important when creating a healthy multi-generational workplace culture. But for now, lets explore how each generation may interpret and be inspired by the following four important opportunities:

1. Recognition

2. Autonomy

3. Coaching/Continuous Learning

4. Opportunity for Advancement

Additional Note: While the list above is not exhaustive, I have purposely not included salary in the above list. I do this because salary is considered a base trait – that as long as an individual is being paid fairly, monetary reward becomes a far less reliable and effective motivator. So, lets take money off the table and look at other ways to create a multi-generational workplace culture.

Recognition

Everyone enjoys recognition. And while Gen Zers and Millennials are used to frequent recognition and Gen Xers and Boomers are used to less frequent recognition, whether an individual prefers to be recognized in publicly versus more privately is often more dependent on if they are an introvert versus extrovert than what generation they belong to.

The great question is, “How frequently and how sincerely do you recognize your team and team members?” Recognition doesn’t have to be a party - and please don’t start an ‘Employee of the Month’ program because recognizing one person once a month is about as demotivating as you can get. Instead, look for opportunities where you can say to someone, “Your input into this report is amazing” or “You’ve worked really hard on that sales pitch and it shows”. Recognizing someones contribution and/or effort in-the-moment is right up there with some of the best recognition you can offer… ever.

Autonomy

Historically, autonomy in the workplace was largely defined as the opportunity to work from home and seen as a perk – something employees had to deserve. Most leaders now recognize that supporting autonomy can encompasses many things like flexible hours, what to work on, where to sit (if in-office) and even professional development opportunities… as well as the choice to work from home (or perhaps more accurately, working remotely).

Thankfully even the idea that autonomy as a ‘perk’ is being replaced by the reality that most people who work remotely actually are more productive (not less), are more creative, have greater job satisfaction and employee loyalty to mention just a few benefits.

So, as you strive to create a healthy multi-generational workplace culture, look to what flexibility you can offer your employees that will help them. Do they need time to take their kids into daycare before coming to work? Do they love being in the office because it gives them a break from their family and they are naturally extroverted? Is there a project that has nothing to do with their current job that you can assign them to because you know it is related to a career path they aspire to? Those are all healthy examples of how you can incorporate autonomy into your workplace culture.

Coaching / Continuous Learning

Coaching is something every leader should be prepared to do – to both their team and to the individuals they support. Coaching ties in well to a workplace culture that promotes continuous learning, helping the team and the company stay fresh while also helping to create an inclusive, multi-generational workplace culture and to promote both collaborative and inclusive behaviour. In addition, coaching, continuous learning and being inclusive are especially important to Gen Z and Millennials.

I invite you to recognize these two generations enjoy being coached AS WELL AS coaching others, sharing their experience and helping others grow. Reverse coaching and/or reverse mentoring are important opportunities for individual and team motivation. And don’t worry if your employees are working remotely. Help employees meet other employees outside of their immediate circle and build new, meaningful relationships from afar by implementing a virtual mentorship program. These relationships will not only create meaning and benefit for them in part by satisfying our natural need to connect with one another, they will also create new synergies within the company and improve employee productivity and loyalty. 

Wondering how to start and who to include? During your one-on-one meetings with each of your team, be sure to ask them how they want to be coached and if they see opportunities where they can give back and coach others.

Opportunity for Advancement

Higher salary and opportunities for advancement have always been high on the list for Boomers and certainly of interest for Generation Xers. Unfortunately for Gen Xers, the economic downturns of the late 1980’s, early 2000’s and then again around 2008/2009 meant that fewer Boomers left the employment market for their expected “Freedom 55”. This meant the career advancement opportunities and higher salaries didn’t materialize as quickly as young Gen Xers expected. Thankfully, Gen Xers are finally getting their chance, even though they are now also competing for leadership positions against bright, well-educated and technologically save Millennials.

It is still worth taking a moment of pause here however because the traditional definition of ‘Opportunity for Advancement’ is shifting. Millennials and Gen Zers don’t only see advancement as a promotion. They also see advancement as opportunities to gain experience and opportunities to broaden their network. So, while an employee may stay in their current position, take time to learn about what they want to learn and where they would like to gain experience because it’s possible you can inspire a very motivated employee by giving them opportunities that are easily within reach and where they actually may be able to add a new point of view.

Conclusion

If you are a leader I urge you to learn as much about everyone you work with and especially people who report to you. What are their wants, needs and preferences as they relate to what they work on, how they like to work, how they like to be rewarded and connected to their preferences specific to working remotely (or not). What are their career aspirations? How can you support workplace training for each of the generations who count on you?

In addition, take a moment to consider your own leadership style and how you support, mentor and coach your team. For example, is your leadership preference lean toward creating a workplace culture where you:

• Give team members a lot of autonomy and little supervision - let them come to you when they have questions or need something

• Intentionally work at creating a culture of equality, diversity, openness and belonging

• Feel you have to have total control and make all (or most) of decisions - especially the critical high-profile decisions

• Value collaboration and input from all stakeholders, listen openly, and watch out of biases in order to explore all options before making a decision

• Focus on strategy, vision and values while making sure everyone has the resources they need to deliver

There is great value for todays leaders to focus on their soft skills and to know what inspires and motivates themselves and the people around them as they lead and create a multigenerational workplace culture.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed.

Bruce

About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.

Bruce is Corporate Trainer and Executive Coach.

As a Corporate Trainer Bruce Mayhew (of BMC) specialize in customized Time Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.

BMC helps your greatest assets think productive and be productive.

Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.

How To Host Your Perfect Meeting

I love meetings. But not so much that I call them or want to go to them when they are not needed.

I also love when everyone walks out of meetings thinking, “Wow – that was productive. I wish every meeting could be like that.” When that happens not only am I (and all of us), rewarded with the information we need in a timely manner, when it is a meeting I’ve called my professional reputation is also rewarded for hosting a meeting that was productive, managed peoples expectations and didn’t waste peoples time (a nod to good time management).

So, lets explore how to host your perfect meeting.

My recommendation on how to host your perfect meeting is to break the process down into three sections namely, Before, During and After the meeting.

How To Host Your Perfect Meeting: Before the Meeting

To host your perfect meeting I hope the word ‘Agenda’ is one of the first things that comes to mind. I don’t want you to despair thinking you have to create a formal - stuffy agenda. For most meetings, throw that idea to the curb.

First, imagine a simple email that includes a few sentences that will tell attendees ‘why’ they will want to go. Share with them the goals, the projected outcomes and a short overview of how these outcomes will benefit them. Then include a bullet list of key topics / headlines that will be explored. Also, if you send information you want them to review, state it as an action item. Just attaching the document does not mean they will read it. So ask them to.

Next, book an appropriate room. Find a room that is large enough (not too large) for the meeting and that has the equipment you need.

Lastly, include Logistical Information that a person will need to arrive on time. Especially if you have external employees, new employees or suppliers from outside the company, be sure to detail logistics like building address, directions, parking options for people not familiar with your office. Please, don’t glance over this – as someone who frequently attends meetings at buildings I’ve never been at, 1-minute of your time can save me loads of time searching for where to park. Also include room name / number and Start Time / End Time clearly on the agenda (and I recommend including in email subject Line if sending the notice out by email).

Agenda and Notice EXAMPLE:

Subject Line: Sales & Product Development: Meeting Design & Best Practices

I am scheduling a meeting so the Sales and Product Development team can explore best practices associated to running a meeting. Our goal is to design and agree upon / approve a format that everyone can use in the department moving forward.

As department heads, please come with a short list of your suggestions. You may wish to have a quick discussion with your team to get their ideas so you can bring them forward. I have also attached a one-page pdf file for us all to review in advance for context. At the meeting we will explore:

• Before A Meeting (Planning)

• During A Meeting

• Following A Meeting

Logistics:

• Sales & Product Development: Meeting Design & Best Practices [Yes, this is a repeat of the Subject Line]

• Tuesday: April 10: 1:30PM

• Rogers Building: 333 Bloor St E, Toronto

• 8th floor – Maple Leaf Room

• Paid underground parking off of Jarvis, south of Bloor

Note: If your meeting is going to be long – like a training event, snacks and possibly meals need to be considered.

At the Meeting

Hopefully you can get into the room a few minutes in advance to set up. I know this sounds pretty obvious but you might be surprised how often it doesn’t happen. Make sure the chairs are aligned as necessary and that any technology you need has been turned on and presentations are loaded and standing by. Having everyone sit and watch you set up for 10 minutes is not good and you just may lose people. If you don’t lose them at this meeting – you might not get them to come on time to your next meeting… because your reputation as an organized meeting host will have been compromised.

Note: If you can’t get into the room before, plan ahead, book the meeting room for 30 minutes before you need it so you will have loads of time to get the previous meeting out… and get you set up.

Start the meeting on time.

Begin by confirming attendees and introducing special guests. Then, formally go over your objective / goal and then the main points on the agenda.

Stick to your agenda. If someone brings up things that are not on your agenda, I recommend one of two things.

1. Park the item and book another meeting to address it.

2. Park the meeting to the end of your meeting, and if your meeting ends early you can review as long as all of the important people are in attendance. If they are not, discussing it will be a waste of time and you will need to book another meeting anyway.

Control people who are speaking a bit too much… and encourage people who are staying silent (they may need our help).

Before anyone departs, recap and confirm agreement on:

• Decisions made

• Action times (what, who and when)

End on time… or early.

After the Meeting

Send out Meeting Minutes as soon as possible. I mean in hours not days.

Like the Agenda, the minutes don’t have to be fancy or complicated. I like the idea of a quick email which outlines the agenda, discussion key points, decisions made and the action items including the what, who and when these action items be fulfilled.

Sending out Meeting Minutes – even really simple minutes are important. If you don’t, everyone will begin to slowly move the decisions made to align with their needs and goals versus the planned goals. So, if person A starts migrating their idea of the decisions to their needs and person B starts migrating their idea to their needs, within a very short week there can be a very large gap between what A and B believe they need to work on and what they actually agreed to. A simple 2 or 3 sentence summaries can solve that challenge… and eliminate the need for many difficult conversations.

Conclusion

In-person or video meetings are one of the best ways to share complicated or sensitive information, discuss / brainstorm options or to provide your team professional development training. Meetings are also amazing at building a cohesive, trusting team environment. But, they have to be done well… and the agreed upon structure has to be followed by everyone. This is where your leadership is imperative in supporting the meeting management standard you come up with. Employees have to see you walking the walk.

Thanks for reading up on How To Host Your Perfect Meeting.

If i can help you in any way, please let me know. Here is my website Meeting Management Training page.

Bruce

About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.

Bruce is Corporate Trainer and Executive Coach.

As a Corporate Trainer Bruce Mayhew (of BMC) specialize in customized Time Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.

BMC helps your greatest assets think productive and be productive.

Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.

An Introduction to Agile Project Management Methodology

What is Agile Project Management?

Although it began to evolve in the 1970s and 1980s, Agile Project Management is still a somewhat new approach to project management. It differs from Traditional Project Management because it breaks large projects into smaller projects and expects changing priorities throughout very short development cycles called ‘Sprints’. A Sprint is often only 2 to 12-weeks long (although the trend is narrowing development times to 2 to 8-weeks).

Agile Project Management is a great solution when the business needs, customer needs and/or the competitive pressures require frequent change or when the business wants to experience the benefits of development investment more frequently. This is one reason why Agile is so common in software development environments. And while projects using an Agile Project Management methodology usually move faster and are more responsive to customer needs, each project should still be part of a larger development plan / vision and be respectful of the available people, time and other resources… not to mention other ongoing projects.

A Quick Look At Traditional Project Management

Traditional Project Management is often defined as having detailed start-to-finish planning with locked-down features and long development cycles… often between 6-months to multiple years. With Traditional the business usually doesn’t see tangible value until the end of the project.

If your goals are 100% defined and not likely to change then Traditional is a viable solution. Also, Traditional is still beneficial in environments that may be heavily regulated, heavily procedure-based, hierarchical workspaces and / or when a project plan can be used by other teams or locations over and over again. For example, construction is a common space using Traditional Project Management.

In many cases it doesn’t have to be all Agile or all Traditional. Many industries a combination of Agile Project Management and Traditional Project depending on the project.

A Few Of The Many Benefits of Agile:

Just about any project can use Agile. One key benefit of Agile Project Management is the fast delivery of development solutions. In addition, four core feature of Agile are:

1. Up-front input by customers on the scope of the development goals. This usually means solutions have the greatest chance to address the target customers’ needs.

2. Frequent and direct review by customers of the project teams success throughout project development.

3. A willingness of the project team to quickly adjust goals and tactics and refocus resources mid-project – usually in response to the mid-project feedback received from customers. Agile is always more focused on delivering customer value versus following a predefined project plan – so if change during a project is required, the team follows that path.

4. Because of shorter development cycles (or Sprints) the company, employees and the customers can all benefit from incremental upgrades and more frequent product releases rather than a less frequent but large-scale upgrade. This has multiple benefits for both the customer and organization. For example:

   • The company can be more responsive to change in technology and/or customer needs.

   • The company can benefit from quicker releases that make their customers happy and hopefully more loyal.

   • The company can benefit from earning ROI on development investment sooner.

   • Employees can quickly benefit from the experience and professional development they gain as they stay current with hardware and software trends.

   • Employees can benefit from networking with both customers, technology specialists and team members they many not otherwise meet.

   • Customers get quick access to competitive, timely solutions.

   • Customers and employees benefit from less steep learning curves that are often reflective of large-scale development releases / upgrades and therefore allow them to keep focusing on their day-to-day responsibilities.

More About Agile

With Agile Project Management, teams are self-empowered which changes a leader’s traditional roles and puts them more in-line with new leadership development trends where a leader’s responsibilities are 65%-80% soft skills. Agile leaders are (as all leaders should be), vocal ambassadors of the corporate direction, vision and values while they coach and mentor talent and make sure their teams have the resources they need. Agile Project Management leaders make sure the project and team expect changing requirements and adapt appropriately. And, Agile leaders must always support the overall Agile Project Management methodology within their hierarchy no matter how flat the organization may be. In short, the Agile leader sets the project goals and then empowers their diverse team / teams to find and build value-add, timely solutions that are in line with the company vision and values.

Within Agile Project Managment it is important everyone keep focused on ‘Keeping It Simple’. If things start getting complicated it is a sign to stop and re-evaluate. Not only is this one of the 12 principles of Agile (see below), it is the only way to create a sustainable path where teams go from idea to research to launch quickly. This includes documentation; Agile methodology takes less of a concern about detailed documentation than Traditional Project Management does and instead puts more emphasis on development and delivery of the agreed-upon goals.

Another important component of Agile is to be sure you hire and work with motivated individuals. And, because it is a highly motivating environment with short project timelines it’s also more important than ever that leaders be sure not to burn-out their high-performers. Project management is always about sustainability – even Agile Project Management is a long-race not a sprint. Also, Agile is not permission to multitask; in fact the methodology suggests try to not work on multiple things at a time.

While there are many pioneers who were instrumental in the early days of Agile Project Management, Jeff Sutherland & Ken Schwaber are two you may want to research to learn more. In addition, there are many methodologies within the Agile umbrella (Scrum and Kanban are most common), but in all cases the focus is to add incremental value throughout the project. For a good overview of Scrum versus Kanban visit this link.

Four Core Values Of Agile Project Management

There are four core values and 12 guiding principles connected with the Agile Project Management methodology. The four core values are:

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

   People first; maintaining a focus on the value added that people provide rather than relying on technology, tools and applications. This also should focus on supporting the team and assisting in collaborative cross-functional work-teams that have little to no hierarchical structure rather than silos.

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation

   I admit I struggle with this one. Agile project management values result over documentation. The idea is to not weigh down the team or team members in paperwork – which is great, however tracking decisions and why decisions were made is important to provide historical relevance.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

   As with any good design, keeping your customer – your end user in mind is critical. Agile Project Management maintains a commitment to involving internal or external customers throughout the development process to ensure their needs are addressed and effectively responding by making changes that address the client’s needs.

4. Responding to change over following a plan

   Relevance and efficiency are critical to the Agile Project Management methodology; they are core purpose. This means change has to be accepted over adhering to a predetermined plan. Change is expected and embraced. For example, if your collaboration with your customer identifies a competitive need, it is expected that the plan be adapted to be able to quickly respond and reprioritize resources. This may be one of the largest differences to traditional project management. The beauty of Agile is that because iterations and/or projects are – by their nature small, frequent and with short timelines, adapting to change should much simpler than within a traditional project management cycle otherwise called waterfall project management.

Agile allows for continuous change throughout the life of any given project.

Key Agile Project Management Definitions:

1. Story: What the project leader / team wants to happen.

2. Backlog: Tasks or requirements that customers have identified and which will become solutions.

3. Scrum: The employees who will prioritize the backlog and be the Sprint Team. These cross-functional teams primary goal is to deliver a fully tested solution that is responsive to customer priorities in a short period of time.

4. Sprint Planning. Working with customers / end users where they prioritize the requirements out of the backlog that they believe they can deliver within the project plan timeline (usually 2 – 4 weeks).

5. Sprint / Sprint Development: The actual effort. During this time the Agile Board is used to track progress.

6. Agile Board: Where tasks and progress are tracked. Includes To Do, Development, Test and Release categories.

7. Daily Scrum Meeting: Short meetings (roughly 15-minutes), where everyone shares what everyone is doing, what they are going to do next and identify how they may be able to help out.

8. Demo: At the end of every sprint development is a demo to customers / end users who will give feedback – the feedback cycle makes development fast and effective.

9. Package & Release: Once it has been tested and goes to market.

10. Done Pile: which identified what requirements from the Backlog that have been completed

11. Retrospective: When the team looks at what has been done well and not well for future improvement. To also review the backlog that the customers prioritized and now begin planning on those Sprints.

Conclusion:

Agile Project Management is a value-driven project management strategy that consistently delivers high-priority and high-quality results in short periods of time. A key benefit of Agile is more satisfied customer because there is regular collaboration with target customers throughout the development process.

There is more, but I believe this introduction to Agile Project Management methodology gives you a good grasp of the basics… you have at least enough to get started if you wish. And remember, both Agile and Traditional Project Management have strengths and challenges.

About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.

Bruce is Corporate Trainer and Executive Coach.

As a Corporate Trainer Bruce Mayhew (of BMC) specialize in customized Time Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.

BMC helps your greatest assets think productive and be productive.

Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.

Great Time Management Goes Further Than Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; It Includes Great Email Etiquette

I’m a big fan of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. As a leader of a team I especially relate to #3 ‘Put First Things First,’ and as a corporate trainer and habitual lifelong learner, I strongly relate to #7: ‘Sharpen the Saw’.

As much as I am a fan of Stephen’s work, I also know that Stephens 7 habits are only part of the answer when an individual or team tries to establish great time management habits. What I mean is that great time management has a lot to do with how an individual does their work as much as when they do their work. And for those familiar with Stephen Covey’s #5 habit of ‘Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood’, what i’m talking about goes even further. Let me explain.

More Than When… Focus On How

After I built and began facilitating my Effective Email Etiquette Training Workshop, I spent a year researching and building my Time Management Training Workshop. During the second development period (and reinforced every day since), it became clear to me that great email etiquette is also great time management – and not only for the writer; great email etiquette is also great time management for everyone who receives email.

For example, if I consistently do three simple things when I write an email message, I can almost guarantee my reader will:

1. Want to read my email – and therefore prioritize my work

2. Quickly and clearly understand what i’m saying or asking for

3. Answer all of my questions and/or do what I ask

Think how much time you would save if every one of your email were prioritized by the recipient, read, understood fully and then acted on quickly? And, how much time would you… and your readers save if you didn’t have to follow up two, three or four times to get the answer to the questions you asked in your email?

This Ability Is In Your Control

I often hear people who take time management training say, “I’d like to spend an hour in the morning concentrating on my strategic, important work but the office culture doesn’t support this.” I understand when they say that. For some aspects of time management to be effective, the team or corporate culture has to change. The beauty of writing better email is that you don’t need your corporate culture or your department culture to change - you are in control. The three email tips I share below allow you to immediately improve your writing which allows you to immediately save time, be more productive and experience less stress. Yes, using good email etiquette is in your control.

Three Email Etiquette Best Practices I Recommend

To have a great personal impact, I recommend improving your time management by practicing the following three email etiquette best practices:

1. Bottom line your messages. Say hello and then get to the point. If you want to be pleasant and say what a nice day it is… do it at the end of your email.

2. Use indented bullet points to bring attention to critical data. If you have two questions, say, Hi Bruce, I have two questions:

   • Question 1

   • Question 2

3. Write helpful Subject Lines. One or two-word subject lines like ‘Meeting’ or ‘Meeting Update’ are not great. Use 5 to 7 words. Instead, ‘July 2020 Sales Meeting Agenda Update’ lets the reader know exactly what the message is about and makes the email easily searchable 1 week or 1 year later.

None of these three Email Etiquette best practices will take you extra time to write email, but they will save you amazing amounts of time by helping you get what you need when you need it with little-to-no follow-up.

Give these three email etiquette techniques a try. They are just a few of the over dozen email writing techniques you and your team can learn that will make you more efficient, more productive and less stressed.

About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.

Corporate trainer Bruce Mayhew (of BMC) specialize in customized Time Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership Skills, Communication and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.

BMC helps your greatest assets think productive and be productive.

Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.