Stop the E-mail Chicken

by | May 29, 2006 | Observations

I’ve heard of acting like a chicken, but not of “playing e-mail chicken.”
In “The Last Word” on Inc.com, Leigh Buchanan describes e-mail chicken as a game that people play to try and gain control over the opponent, or in this case, the person they’re sending the e-mail to. The objective of e-mail chicken is to constantly be on the attack by attempting to seize the last word from your opponent.
This form of guile is exercised quite often by the corporate minds of this world. This includes a CEO, who might try and take control of conversation by always having the last word. By responding in an e-mail with an explicit call to action, such as “Kindly get to that report by this afternoon,” the CEO’s message implies to the receiver of the message that he’s not expected to reply, but should, instead, look for that report.
I believe this hit-and-run tactic that many people use only makes them appear as if they are playing games. These lunatics should focus on the paramount information at hand rather than antagonize their opponents. In most games, the object is to win with class and dignity.

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