We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Change Me
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Change Me
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Conversation – the lost art
fastlane

Conversation – the lost art

April 19, 2012
Clifford F. Lynch
No Comments

As I was considering subjects for this month's column, I received an e-mail promoting a seminar on the use of blogs, social networking sites, gated communities, and microsites in consulting. Once again, I was moved to ask myself, "Doesn't anyone talk anymore?"

I wrote about this subject some 10 years ago, back before the emergence of all the social media we have at our fingertips today. Certainly, sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have opened new channels of communication for us. We can e-mail, text, twitter, tweet, cheep, and peep. But what's happened to the art of conversation—the ability to socially interact with live people?

We have lost our professional courtesy. We don't answer our telephones. We let calls go to voice mail, then decide who we'll talk to and who we'll ignore. Not too many years ago, one of the major reasons for joining organizations like the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and the Warehousing Education and Research Council was to meet people you could then call or get together with to discuss mutual problems. That doesn't seem to be so much the case anymore.

Several weeks ago, I made 63 telephone calls on behalf of a client. After the first five or six, I realized this was going to be ugly, so I started keeping score. The communication barrier started at the front door of most of the firms I called. Telephones were answered by automated systems that referred me to company directories, which didn't work in several cases. When I finally worked my way through those, I reached voice mail in 48 out of the 63 cases. Most of the people who knew me called back. Most of those who didn't, did not. I can go to Facebook and find out what someone had for dinner last night but can't reach them on the telephone.

What has brought about this change in attitude? Certainly, the economy has had an impact on behavior, as have recession-induced downsizing and the emergence of new technologies. What is disturbing, however, is not all of the managers who behave this way are casualties of the tough economic times. They simply don't want to take the time or choose to use other messaging options.

I couldn't help but recall a conversation I had last month with someone I will call Bob. Bob, apparently having rediscovered his telephone, called and said, "It's been a while, and I just wanted to touch base." Now, I haven't heard from Bob in eight or nine years. Obviously, he is out of work and engaged in a crash program to establish a network.

He might as well forget it. It won't work. Building relationships is a long-term, never-ending project and cannot be accomplished overnight. Nor can it be accomplished, in my opinion, without personal contact. As a provider of services for part of my career, I have often been frustrated by the failure of many supply chain managers to extend the simple courtesy of returning phone calls. This frustration turns to bemusement when the telephone rings and one of these same individuals is now out of work and suddenly my new best friend.

There's an old story about a group of boys who were trying to walk a railroad track but could navigate only a few feet before losing their balance. Finally, two of the boys bet the others they could walk the rail without falling off. Challenged to make good on their boast, they each stepped up on a rail, extended a hand to the other and walked the entire length of the track without difficulty. Over the long run, we will accomplish more by helping each other.

Am I against social media? Absolutely not. It is great for certain things, but let's not lose sight of why God gave us the gift of speech and hearing.

Business Management & Finance
  • Related Articles

    the seven deadly sins of supply chain crisis management

    the lean, mean supply chain machine

    the South shall rise again

Clifford F. Lynch is principal of C.F. Lynch & Associates, a provider of logistics management advisory services, and author of Logistics Outsourcing ? A Management Guide and co-author of The Role of Transportation in the Supply Chain. He can be reached at cliff@cflynch.com.

Recent Articles by Clifford Lynch

A New Solution for Some Old Problems

The time has come

The continuing saga of driver shortages

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • A look into the future of robotics

  • Exotec Skypod System Adopted by Gap Inc. to Optimize Returns Process

  • Roadrunner Freight bolsters LTL capabilities with $50 million in new backing

  • A primer on warehouse robots

  • Truck driver availability tightens to three-year low, ACT says

Now Playing on DCV-TV

B56eecf1 4687 42a4 865e c3f3223925f7

How serious are you about controlling your freight costs?

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
If you’ve been feeling like your freight budget is under attack, you’re in good company! Whether you’re looking at the ocean, parcel, LTL, truckload, or air markets, capacity is tight and prices are soaring.RELATED RESOURCES:Rapid AssessmentVisit our websiteSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Special Report: Supply Chain Trends in Retail & Consumer Goods

  • Fortify Your Operational Resilience

  • Cold Storage Automation: Leveraging Advanced Technologies to Meet Increasing Demand

  • The modern warehouse: Maximizing productivity and capacity

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing