This week I’ve been on the receiving end of what happens when people take the initiative.
We’re hiring someone at work and I had some applications sat in my inbox to be reviewed at some point which, in honesty, may have taken another week to get to.
I then received a phone call from someone enquiring about the position which suddenly got my attention.
She was polite and made the most of the opportunity on the phone “here’s why I’m interested in the position” etc. and before I knew it we were arranging a time to meet next week for coffee to discuss more.
Needless to say, those who haven’t called aren’t getting an interview just yet.
This got me thinking about how my default setting is to not be too pushy and to view at as “impolite” to “hassle” people when trying to get something done together.
This is a very negative way to think about it, and if anything it’s impolite to expect the other person to be wholly responsible for managing the scenario when they have other things on.
It shows a few things:
- Taking action progresses the conversation even if it’s not “your turn”
- Taking action is a great signal to the other person that you care about what you’re discussing (if you sit in silence, they are none the wiser)
- So long as you’re polite, it will likely be seen as a positive move
- If someone is still not interested, this is great info to realise you shouldn’t waste your time
- Talking on the phone > email
So my takeaway is when I think of needing to follow up with someone is to just crack on and do it straight away. Speaking on the phone, where possible.
In other news…
Two podcast things to share:
- This week’s episode of The East Africa Business Podcast is about modernising medicine in rural Africa
- I also appeared on the other end of a podcast interview, talking about my experience moving to East Africa and more
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