‘Social’ Intelligence: You’ve Got @

Firstly, let me begin by saying that I have just woken up from a three- hour afternoon nap; something which is highly unlikely for me (the nap, not the waking up).

What normal people would do after a Saturday nap probably involves some stretching along with some I-don’t-really-want-to-get-upping (yes, this is an actual word, I heard it on the Teletubbies last Tuesday).

Not me, though. The first thing that I did after I woke up was to fall asleep. And then when I woke up for real, I grabbed my dumbphone and checked my email account.

A bit geeky and somewhat unnecessary, you say? Once more, you are as wrong as the lyrics to ‘Stairway to Heaven’ played backwards (very, very disturbing, by the way).

Again, let me illustrate your wrongness (very classy word) via an example.

Let us imagine for a second that you are a very successful entrepreneur who deals with clients on a daily basis (which you are, of course, not and, hence, ‘imagine’).

Since that is the case, clients tend to often rely on your constant availability, be it over the telephone or via email.

Consequently, if you want to keep your clients and partners, you will need to be as punctual as you can (remember my earlier advice? Sure you don’t...) and respond on TIME.

If someone, for instance, sends you the following email:

‘Hi Don Giovanni

I have just spoken to a chap in Brazil who is looking for a partner in a new venture- some gold- mining or what have you.

We were thinking about starting up a joint venture for now; you in?

Let me know asap.

Regards

Tamagochi.’

Now, ‘asap’ does NOT, in any world or dimension, mean ‘take your time in answering, mate’. 

Tamagochi wants an answer; and he wants it now.

Don’t get me wrong; he probably won’t get offended if you don’t reply promptly-

In business there are no friends; just interests.

What WILL happen, however, is that you might have well lost out on quite a lucrative venture.

You wouldn’t do that to your own financial and general well- being, would you now?

The above example is not so different from your everyday life.

It doesn't take that long to reply to an email; roughly, it takes between five and ten minutes (as per some statistics somewhere). A prompt reply shows the person at other side that you care; not about him but about your relationship, be it personal business.

It further shows that you are willing to maintain that relationship with him in the future. Also, do keep in mind that you never know whose services you might need at times; and when you do, it really does help when that person does not think that you’re an ass (not a swear, means a ‘donkey’).

To sum up, it took me fifteen minutes to write up this blog post; and I don’t even KNOW who reads it. 

Through it, however, I am promptly replying to my conscience, which has kept reminding me that I have done nothing all day, in the hope that it will simply wither away.

But I do sometimes need my conscience to keep me going; else, I could have simply woken up and said

To Hell With It!