The 5 Minute Rule Could Save Your Career!

Have you ever read something in an email or a post on Facebook or LinkedIn that infuriated you to the point where you could feel your pulse in your ears? Yeah, me, too!

So........... you start composing an angry retort that will put that idiot in his place. How could anyone write such a thing? How could anyone truly have that point of view? Surely everyone in the world will appreciate your clever attack on this viscous fool.

You've written your Pulitzer Prize-deserving rant and you are now ready to share it with the world so everyone can begin to shower you with accolades for your skills when you feel a sudden twinge. A sudden gnawing in the back of your mind is gently warning you to be a little cautious. Do you hit send, do you wait a minute or two, or do you delete it entirely?

This is where the 5 minute rule comes in to use. Any time that you are tempted to share your deepest thoughts with the world, you should be certain that it is in your best interest to do so. Who might read this and be terribly shocked at your language or even your position on the issue? Could this cost you a deal that you are working on? Could this cost you a customer that you have worked so hard to earn? Maybe this will cause you a severe strain with a friend or a co-worker. Worst yet, what if your boss is completely on the other side of the issue and he or she feels that your actions are not representative of a good employee and they show you to the door? Remember the woman in Kentucky who suggested that someone should kill President Trump? She is unemployed!

Your posts, tweets and emails have a tendency to be read by every single person that you really didn't want to read them. They are public. They are permanent records of how you feel and what you said. Make sure that this is how you want to be memorialized!

The 5 minute rule simply says to wait 5 minutes before you send or post your angry retort. Then go back and re-read your composition and make sure that you still want to send it. During that 5 minutes, often times, a cooler head will prevail and the initial anger that sent your fingers flying across the keyboard will fade. You may come to realize that this person has a right to their opinion and what you share in your writing isn't going to change THEIR opinion. But it may have a lasting effect on YOUR career!

Nine times out of ten, I have gone back after the 5 minutes and deleted the entire message and moved on with my day. Attitude is a choice. I am not going to let the silly opinion of someone else turn my day or even my career into a nightmare.

Try the 5 minute rule. You may be VERY glad you waited. If you have co-workers who could learn something from this, I hope you will share it with them.

Jim Crump is a Senior Business Consultant with Stryde Savings - [email protected]