When Brevity Sabotages Workplace Communication — And How to Avoid It

I’m known for efficiency. Few things make me happier than checking off another box on my to-do list or pushing a big project across the finish line. Working in a bustling fintech environment, I have to maintain a high level of efficiency to stay on pace.

In many ways, this has worked for me, enabling me to streamline my team’s entire production workflow and scale our output about 5x over the past few years. But as I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve realized that my penchant for efficiency can sometimes work against me — especially when it comes to communication.

The bombshell piece of advice that I use every day

My colleague Jay Chang is a fellow advocate of getting shit done. Like me, he prizes efficiency and rarely stops to take a breather. About a year ago, he dropped this little bombshell on me:

“Strive to be efficient with things; strive to be effective with people.”

Jay was referencing our mutual tendency to respond quickly — and thus bluntly — when we’re in a hurry.

My terse responses have often led to misunderstandings with colleagues, causing them to wonder if I was upset with them. I then found myself following up, apologizing, and reassuring them that I was…