When was the last time you got a text message that made you pause and say to yourself, “Well, that was unexpected”?
Perhaps you were caught totally off guard by the tone, brevity, or lack of emotion in the message. If you happen to know the sender well, you might brush off such an incident any number of ways and not inquire further.
But how would you react if you encounter this in a professional setting? Maybe you ask a direct report (who’s always conscientious) for a status update, only to receive a curt “I’m working on it” in return. Or you see a close colleague making demands in a group Slack thread without saying “please” or “thank you” (which is very unlike her).
I recently listened to episode 194 of Sam Harris’s Making Sense podcast in which this very topic surfaced. Guest Matt Mullenweg, the founder of Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and many other products, shares his unique insight into running distributed teams. Automattic happens to be entirely remote— with over a thousand employees working in 75 countries.
Matt encourages his employees to apply the API approach when it comes to interpreting written communication. And no, we’re not talking about application programming interfaces.
API = Assume Positive Intent
This simple acronym resonated with me on a very personal level. As a software project manager who works with colleagues across multiple time zones on a day-to-day basis, 90% of all of my communication is written and, in many cases, asynchronous.
After all, when you communicate via text, it is deceptively easy to feel that someone is brushing you off with a lackluster comment or ping, or perhaps even disrespecting you. Been there, done that ✅ .
The next time you think this is happening to you, do what I do:
- Pause
- Take a deep breath
- Assume positive intent (API)
Maybe the person on the other end is on their phone and can’t type out a longer message. Or, as I’ve found on many instances, they’re battling an onslaught of incoming pings and just don’t have the time (or energy) to type out something more comprehensive.
Don’t let the message affect you personally. But do see it as a call to action.
API Enables Empathetic Engagement
Assuming positive intent grants you the opportunity to engage with empathy and strengthens overall workplace psychological safety
What does it mean to engage with empathy? I think about it quite simply as putting yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Being empathetic in your interactions should be something you strive for, and encourage others to do, as frequently as possible, regardless of whether communication is happening virtually or in-person.
Adopting the API approach has empowered me to engage with empathy. Instead of letting the message itself get under my skin, I engage with the sender, inquire if I can assist, and offer to connect informally to chat further.
The more you invest in getting to know your colleagues as individuals, the better you’ll be able to gauge their mental health, in good times and bad
Implementing API and engaging in proactive outreach has contributed to a noticeable increase in my team’s psychological safety.
It should come as no surprise that we work better when we’re given the freedom to contribute and collaborate without fear of of our words being misinterpreted or lost in translation.
So the next time you see a work message that looks out of the ordinary, don’t read too much into it. Think API. Use the opportunity to reach out to the person to see if they’re up for a quick chat. Make an effort to see things from their perspective.
It takes all of us to humanize our text-based emoji-sharing selves into the living, breathing individuals typing away behind the screen.
