Leaders Take Note:
I think all of us are enormously grateful for computers, word processors, smart phones, I-Pads and all those wonderful devices that make our lives so much less difficult (note that I did not say easier!), and tremendously increase our ability to communicate so much faster and so much easier. While not the topic of this article, I can’t help but to remind all of us that we can also ruin a career or a friendship with a simple keystroke! Yup, we can effectively reach out accurately, promptly and to whatever audience we care to address. However, there are times when the good old fashion use of pen, paper and postage stamp may be the most effective.
While some will disagree, I believe that it is an absolute fact that among the few victims of automation is the drastic loss of realistically personal communications. Certainly, we can send an email to a person and mark it “personal”, but the impact is far less impactful than the simple handwritten note. In my long career in multiple agencies I have stumbled across a helpful leadership reality: a hand-written note from the boss is truly appreciated and long-remembered. A complimentary email is appreciated, but a hand-written personal note has a much longer and much greater positive impact.
Like most executives (hopefully!), I am the type of leader who has always looked for opportunities to acknowledge good work with appropriate levels of recognition, and to encourage my staff to do the same. When I first reached the executive level, I really went into “high gear” with my good intentions by having my secretary type (usually) appreciative accolades on my personal note cards and send them to the home address of the concerned employees. I reasoned that sending the note to the home would be a nice added touch.
Internally, my personal notes were stimulated by significant supervisory commendations that I became aware of and wanted to reinforce with a note from the “big boss” (me); always in support of and never instead supervisory recognition. Externally, I had my secretary also send my personal notes to citizens and others outside of the department; in many instances, she knew my thought process and had notes prepared for my signature before I even raised the issues! This practice served me well.
Because of an encounter with an employee and his wife, I found that my good intentions could be further improved upon. At a departmental social function, one of my employees and his wife approached me to say hello and the employee thanked me for the “hand-written note” I had sent to him at his home, and his wife added that the note was still attached to the refrigerator door! What a great and powerful lesson for me: From that day forward and to the present time, my internal notes of special significance are hand-written and mailed to the homes of the concerned employee.
Several words of caution are appropriate: First, don’t send personal notes unless the incident or performance being commended was truly significant; don’t permit the impact of your words to be cheapened by excessive accolades. Secondly, be careful what you say and write everything with the expectation that it may end up on the front page of a newspaper; commenting on the specifics of something badly controversial or to an employee who might be facing termination is not good. Finally, know enough about civil law and issues of defamation to recognize areas where you best not tread; you don’t need to nurture litigation. These words of caution are dawn from my extensive personal scar tissue.
I encourage everyone in every position, especially those in positions of responsibility to invest a few bucks in some personal note cards, buy a few stamps and start sending out complimentary notes where appropriate. As years go on, the people who will comment on your kind actions will validate the wisdom of such a simple yet powerful practice.
End
Keith Bushey retired from the Los Angeles Police Department as a commander, from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy chief, and from the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel. Other law enforcement experience includes having served as a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, a State of California deputy game warden, and as the Marshal of San Bernardino County. He is an instructor emeritus for the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and has lectured and written extensively in the areas of leadership, management and ethics. His entire eight booklet Leadership Series is in the public domain and may be downloaded without cost from KeithBushey.com.
First published in American Police Beat.