The other day I was reminded of just how different people are when it comes to their communication style at work, and in life in general.

Here’s what happened…

I had agreed to talk with someone at a certain time, then figure out when we could meet up that day.

When the time frame rolled around for us to talk, neither of us picked up the phone.

For me, something urgent and important at the top of my list needed my attention, and it occupied me for several hours.

Here’s where things got interesting-

I finally caught up with this person the next day when I called. Then I heard the funniest thing- “Well, we were supposed to talk about this yesterday, but I didn’t hear from you.”

A few things here for a simpler more fruitful business life:

-A tiny communication goes a long way. Picking up the phone for the 5 seconds it would have taken to Text this person could have provided a surprising amount of value to this person. 5 seconds to me could affect several hours of his work or thinking.

-As you know, when you’re busy, it sure helps to have people around you who can’t help but work to get things done regardless of what distractions come up. They adapt in real time, and they literally don’t feel comfortable until they’ve created the outcome they’re looking for.

-I believe that in a given situation where 2 people are going to communicate, each person is individually responsible. Meaning… in any conversation or need for communication, I am completely responsible. And for the other person, they are completely responsible.

What happens when one person in a communication loop sets themselves to “Receive”?

In short, the system of communication changes in a huge way… and in my opinion not for the better for BOTH parties.

If you want to provide value, you want to get great things done, and you want to make sure you have a great time and that people thrive and succeed around you- I’d take some time to see where you can shift from “Receive” in your life.

It honestly might only mean an extra 20-60 seconds a day, as in my Text example.

And you’ll get a whole lot more of what YOU want and need when you do.

Here’s enough to keep you busy for a while in Steve Pavlina’s post on Being Proactive Vs. Reactive…. which gets at a whole bunch of great things at the source of how and why we might be “Set to Receive.”