To most of us, the term “turn signal” means the directional indicator you use when changing lanes in traffic or turning. Beyond it being courteous and prudent, using them is the law. Ignore the need to use your turn signals at your own peril—you may get blind sided.
Like automobiles, business has turn signals too, both written and verbal. How we use them tells others a lot about our effectiveness and professionalism. Like the driver who signals too early, valuing speed over accuracy can be confusing. You may act too quickly without enough information or attention. On the other extreme, the driver who signals too late is like that last-minute text saying a meeting has been cancelled, which usually happens just as you walk into the conference room. If you are the “driver” who signals too late or not at all, you actually are “signaling” that you are unprofessional, and telling other “drivers” that you don't care or are too busy to bother.
Unfortunately, this situation happens all too often. Yet again, a particular client either “forgot” or was “too busy” to make a scheduled phone interview and didn’t bother to “signal”, even late, to reschedule or cancel. Worse yet, they also didn’t respond to follow-up emails, calls, and texts asking if they were alright or if they had just lost interest. For almost two weeks, they just left everyone hanging.
What about the signal sent to the other party? No matter the reason, not communicating left them with a negative perception of the client’s professionalism that has to be repaired at best to go forward, or a lost opportunity at worst. When do we upgrade from calling it just forgetful to considering it downright disrespectful and unprofessional? The takeaway is that because this client was unprofessional everyone lost.
Effective use of our turn signals is just the right thing to do. Even business has rules of the road. Ignore at your own peril...