There is a pattern that plays out in almost every team I work with, across industries, experience levels, and whether people are in the office or working remotely. Someone needs a decision. Something is stuck. There’s a question that, if answered, would unlock the next three things on their list.
And they send an email.
Then they wait. And while they wait, the work waits too.
This is not a small thing. It is one of the most visible — and most avoidable — ways that capable, talented people quietly undermine their own effectiveness and seniority.
The Email Default Is Costing You More Than You Think
The default to email is understandable. Email feels safe. It is asynchronous, which means you can send it when you’re ready and not impose on someone’s time. A paper trail is created. It gives you a moment to think before you speak.
But there is a cost that most people don’t account for: time, momentum, and perception.
When something needs a conversation — a clarification, a judgment call, a quick steer from a senior stakeholder — an email rarely resolves it cleanly. It generates a reply that generates another reply. The thread becomes the work instead of the actual work. And throughout that thread, the thing you needed to move forward is still sitting still.
More significantly: the people who reach for the phone, who ask for fifteen minutes on Teams, who resolve things quickly and in real time — they are the ones who get noticed as people who make things happen. They don’t just look busier. They look more senior.
The principle: Calling is not an interruption. Done well, it is a signal that you value someone’s time enough to resolve something quickly rather than managing it slowly.
Why People Don’t Pick Up the Phone (And Why Those Reasons Don’t Hold Up)
Most people who default to email aren’t lazy or disengaged. They have reasons. Usually one of these:
“I don’t want to bother them.” This is the most common one, and it comes from a good place. But consider what you’re actually doing when you send an email instead: you’re delaying the outcome, creating work for them in their inbox, and potentially creating a longer back-and-forth than a two-minute call would have been. A short, well-framed call is often less of an imposition than three emails.
“I want a record of the conversation.” This is a legitimate consideration for some situations. But you can have a call and send a two-line follow-up: “As discussed — we’re going with option B, and I’ll have the brief ready by Friday.” That’s a record. It also demonstrates that you can run a conversation and close it cleanly.
“What if they don’t pick up?” Then you leave a brief message or send a short message on Teams: “I have a quick question about X — five minutes whenever suits you today.” You haven’t lost anything, and you’ve signalled that you want to move quickly rather than sit in someone’s inbox.
“I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to ask.” This one is worth examining honestly. If you’re hesitating to pick up the phone because you’re not confident the question is valid, or you’re worried about how it will land — that’s worth working through. But in most cases, the question is entirely reasonable, and email feels safer only because it puts distance between you and the response.
When a Call Is Clearly the Right Move
Not everything warrants a call. But these situations almost always do:
You need a judgment call from someone senior. Emails invite people to hedge. Calls invite people to think out loud. If you want a real steer rather than a carefully worded non-answer, a five-minute call will get you further than a thread.
Something is time-sensitive. If the delay is creating a problem, or about to create one, a call says: this matters and I’m moving on it. An email says: whenever you get a chance.
The subject is nuanced, sensitive, or likely to be misread in writing. Tone is notoriously hard to land in email. The same sentence reads differently depending on the reader’s mood, the thread history, or the relationship context. If there’s any risk of it landing wrong, a conversation removes the ambiguity.
You’ve already exchanged two or more emails and nothing has been resolved. This is a reliable signal. If you’re on your third email and still not clear, stop. Pick up the phone.
You’re new to the relationship. Early in a working relationship, a call — even a brief one — builds rapport and trust faster than any number of emails. People remember how you made them feel in a conversation. They don’t remember which email thread they had with you in Q2.
What This Has to Do With How Senior You Look
Here is the part that matters most for your career.
Senior professionals move things forward. They don’t just manage inboxes — they manage outcomes. And one of the clearest signals of seniority is the willingness to resolve things in real time rather than outsourcing the decision to an email thread.
When you call a busy leader to clarify something quickly, you’re not bothering them. You’re demonstrating that you understand the value of their time and yours. When you ask for fifteen minutes on Teams to get a decision rather than circulating a document and waiting five days for feedback, you’re showing that you know how to make things happen.
The people who are seen as ready for the next level are rarely the ones who have the longest email trails. They’re the ones who are known for clarity, momentum, and the ability to resolve things efficiently.
Phone calls — and brief, focused video calls — do that. Emails rarely do.
The shift: Implementing ‘voice call’ is not just a communication preference. It is a visible signal of confidence, decisiveness, and respect for outcomes over process.
A Simple Rule to Try This Week
Before you write your next email, ask one question: Could this be resolved in five minutes on the phone?
If the answer is yes — call.
If the person isn’t available immediately, send a short message: “I have a quick question about X — happy to call whenever works.” That’s it. You don’t need to pre-explain the whole thing in writing. You need to open the door to a conversation.
You’ll be surprised how often a call that took four minutes replaces a thread that was going to take four days.
The Bigger Picture
This is not really about calls versus emails. It is about the habit of moving things forward rather than managing the appearance of moving things forward.
Email can feel productive. Threads are visible. You can see the work accumulating. But the question worth asking is: is the thing actually progressing, or is it just being documented?
The professionals who advance are the ones who resolve things. Who make decisions, get decisions, and move on. And increasingly, in remote and hybrid environments where the opportunity for informal conversation has reduced, being willing to pick up the phone is one of the simplest and most underused ways to stand out.it.
Free resource — start here
Download the free guide: 10 AI Prompts to Work Smarter, Sound More Senior, and Stand Out in Your Career. Ready-to-use prompts for women in Officer, Senior Officer, and new manager roles.
The complete system
The AI Career Upgrade System is the complete playbook: 13 advanced AI prompts, communication frameworks, visibility strategies, and a 30-day action plan. Find out more here