Thoughts on How Lincoln’s Electric Communications Came to Affect Mine
By Tom Wheeler
I began writing Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails based on the thesis that Abraham Lincoln’s telegrams made him the first online president. As I watched Lincoln’s use of the telegraph evolve and read and re-read his messages I began to discover that I was thinking of his t-mails as I wrote my own emails. Here is how Abraham Lincoln’s t-mails ended up having an effect upon how I use email.
Hierarchy of Communications – Electronic messages were Lincoln’s least preferred means of communicating. First on his hierarchy were direct, in person exchanges. Today, however, the ease of email encourages us to use it as a primary means of communication. Worse still, we use email as a way to avoid personal interaction. Such habits are the exact opposite of Lincoln’s behavior. Lincoln sought face-to-face exchanges. Walking among the government agencies to drop in on one person or another, Lincoln could not only deliver a message, but also hear a reply, see the body language, and engage in dialog. Electronic communications became an important part of Lincoln’s leadership, but only in situations where distance was too great and mail or messenger too slow. I have become more aware that emails are not a substitute for walking down the hall or picking up the phone.
I wish everybody who sends me email would read the rest of this article. LINK
0 Responses to “What Abraham Lincoln Taught Me about Email”