I think e-mail has become a bottleneck to communication in many companies. All too often, I see someone struggle for 20 minutes on the computer to describe a situation for the person in the office next door. Even worse, the question involved only requires a “yes” or “no” answer!

I recently experimented with my own 30-day campaign against internal e-mails. I announced that I would not accept any e-mails from my own staff. They would have to contact me face-to- face or via telephone. The result: Our communications are better, projects are moving faster and my relationships with my direct reports have improved.

Randy Smith, Forum Systems Group, San Antonio