Paul Singh

I used to write long emails; I mean really long. I justified it by telling myself that I was being thorough. I thought that the reader (most likely my clients or someone I worked with) would appreciate my effort to be as detailed as possible. Nothing could be further than the truth.

I noticed that most of the responses failed to answer the 34039857 questions I buried deep within. I learned that I was much more likely to get the answers I needed by keeping my emails short and posing one simple question.

Here’s my point: It’s intimidating to figure out what to put on a wall size whiteboard. It’s much easier to approach a postcard. Focus on getting just one message across.

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If you’re visiting from the latest I Will Teach You To Be Rich post on Why the lady sitting next to me should pay $2,000 for a computer class, welcome.

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Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of businesses ranging from the Fortune 500 all the way “down” to small bootstrapped businesses (including my own).

I’ve noticed an inverse relationship between the size of the company and the “interesting-ness” of it’s employees. Simply put: I’ve met the most interesting people at the smallest companies.

“But Paul,” you might say, “everyone is interesting in their own way - what do you really mean?” Often, the only difference between an interesting person and one who does not consider himself interesting is a matter of confidence – and a willingness to share their stories.

Small businesses are a unique place where employees have no choice but to be innovative and highly creative. When you tie those together with confidence and great communication skills, you tend to get the type of people that actively seek out (and share) new experiences - that makes them such interesting people.

When I was working with a large Fortune 500 company last year, the most interesting person I worked with was a horse breeder. Here at PBwiki, a much smaller company by comparison, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a helicopter pilot, influential bloggers, hot sauce aficionados, “hippies” (am I going to get in trouble for saying that?) and ex-librarians - a much wider range of people that all share the common traits above.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, especially those of you working in the “corporate” world. Let me know.

Image Credit: Wili