Reprint from Forbes Women | Mina Chang | Feb. 20, 2015
Why Face-To-Face Meetings Are So Important
Speed is everything in today’s tech-driven business world. In an effort to speed up even more, some so-called progressive business leaders are scrapping in-person meetings in favor of the latest high-tech solutions.
But this prioritization of speed over face time grossly underestimates the power of human interaction and the importance of face-to-face communication. If the point of business were simply to accomplish as many tasks as possible, then yes, an email would probably do. But that’s not what real leadership is about.
If you’ve ever been on the bad side of cyber miscommunication, you’ll agree that faster isn’t always better. When I find myself anxious to rush through an interaction, I repeat the mantra of “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
Managing a successful team — and, consequently, a successful business — requires personal connections. Business is, in large part, about building relationships. Being a successful businesswoman requires emotional intelligence as much as it requires drive and discipline.
Don’t Discount Face-to-Face Connections
I learned a lesson about the importance of face-to-face communication soon after I became CEO of my company and inherited projects across the globe. I could have sent out linear forms to every country director, deployed questionnaires, or even delegated the groundwork to my team. But instead, I spent the first year on the road, traveling from Haiti to Kenya to Thailand to Nigeria to the Philippines and everywhere in between.
In my travels, I met with our teams on the ground, asked questions, and listened to their concerns. These face-to-face interactions built trust, understanding, and a real sense of a shared mission, and this has made all the difference in the world. READ MORE