Skimming

Who likes to get email responses from those individuals who have skimmed your email and still didn't get the real meaning of what you were trying to convey? Do you find it is the same individuals over and over again who plague you with their lack of commitment to detail that it annoys you time and time again? How many times are you frustrated by the numerous communications you receive due to this insulting behavior? Why DO people skim things, including emails? I say, if you don't have enough time to read it right, do not respond to it until you do!

I especially hate it when it comes from a VP because the response you get is usually half-witted, half-hearted and completely illegible. Then you have to look like an idiot and say, "Excuse me, but can you please clarify what you mean so that I don't get it wrong?" It is near impossible sometimes to do your job when this is becoming a repeated and prevalent practice within the business world.

It isn't just me either, a lot of my professional friends are saying the same thing. I think because we have come down to a society where VP and Executive level management no longer have "secretaries", "personal assistants" or "administrative assistants" as they like to be referred, to cow-tow to their every whim and write memos, emails and responses to everything, we are now getting a lower level of communication from them. Is it because a lot of the "older" gentlemen never learned grammar, haven't had to use it, or are just ignorant?

It is very difficult to really understand. I think a lot of times in companies that grow quickly, people are promoted due to vacating positions and they are not necessarily "qualified" for the job were they to be hired from outside the company. Because of this, in my humble opinion, people who have less than the basic skills have made it to high-ranking positions within the company just by default. And because of that, we end up getting less quality at the time and, of course, less leadership. Lack of quality and less employees due to the recession is a killer and if the corporations aren't smart, their business will also suffer in the long run.

I only hope the economy picks up so that we can get better quality employees into positions and salaries they should be in and stop holding onto the people who can't do the job just because they've been there forever...there is a lot to be said for tenure, but the job really needs to be done efficiently and correctly or not at all.

Of course this is just my opinion. So let me know how you feel.

Why exactly do you think this horrible habit is becoming more prevalent in the business world today and how does it make you feel when it happens to you?

Thanks for listening...