Impressions

Even now, months after it happened, it surprises me when I think about it. No phone call. No heads up. No discussion. As I opened the email from a business associate, checking my messages from an airport lounge, I expected a routine update. Instead, I read a message severing our relationship.

What startled me wasn’t that this person decided it best to change a business situation. These things happen. It was how she informed me of her decision that brought the pain. You see, it’s not just what you do that matters, it’s how you do it.

I discovered more about her in that instant than I had in the months we worked together. I learned she took the easy way over the right way; lacked relationship courage; and retreated from difficult encounters. Her intention was to severe the current working relationship, but in the process she also severed my respect. You see, how you do what you do speaks volumes about who you are and what you value. It’s a telling impression that leaves an imprint on those you touch.

Sure it’s easier to use email to terminate relationships, deliver bad news or launch print-grenades. Just like it’s easier to...