
I Tried Emailing Like a CEO - msh
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/i-tried-emailing-like-your-boss
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msghacq
When people say that there is a difference between Buzzfeed and Buzzfeed News,
I’ll point them to this article to prove that there’s isn’t.

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snazz
Well, it’s an article, not a quiz-covered listicle with twelve exclamation
points.

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subculture
It's also not titled "One weird trick about email"

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beat
Seems like an anti-anxiety solution to me. Anxiety is what keeps us from
answering email right away, not being too busy. Knowing you won't put more
than ten seconds into it, that it's boilerplate, makes it much easier.

~~~
AimForTheBushes
This. She seems to think email has to follow a strict format when in reality
it's just a message.

~~~
bitwize
"Dear Sir stroke Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fire that has broken
out on the premises of 123 Carrendon Road--no, that's too formal. Dear Sir
stroke Madam, FIRE! Exclamation mark..."

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jedberg
She failed right at the outset. If she wanted to really email like a CEO, her
response to all of those email pitches would have simply been, "pass".

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phillc73
The problem with this approach for me is that, not being a CEO, much of my
email requires additional action other than simply replying to the email. E.g.
Please review this 30 page contract or proposal.

Once I start down that route, the emails start to pile up, and tasks arriving
via email need to be managed more effectively.

~~~
asperous
People this with problem I feel like are avoiding the core problem. You can
schedule this task and put it on your calendar and let the person know. Or if
you don't have time, let them know. If you are consistently over-allocated you
need to make choices to free up your time, ask for help, hire people, reduce
scope of work, etc.

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tonymet
in a perfect world this would be correct. when I was younger and more rational
I was brief in emails out of respect for the reader's time ( "had I more time
a shorter letter would have been written") . it did me a disservice.

but in reality this only works with those of whom you have a prior
relationship. CEOs can do this because (a) they have power over you and (b)
you have an image of them that a short email will not tarnish.

but for you the plebian, people will judge you based on whatever perceptions
they have, and for 90% of your peers it will be a curt email.

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JabavuAdams
The real boss move is to not care about reaching inbox zero, or missing
something important. Trying to get to inbox 0 or to be efficient is still kind
of servile.

Meh, if I miss something you deal with it. BOSS.

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roughfalls
[http://two.sentenc.es/](http://two.sentenc.es/) conveys a similar idea but
did so long before this story, and more succinctly:

"Treat all email responses like SMS text messages, using a set number of
letters per response. Since it’s too hard to count letters, we count sentences
instead."

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DrMagnus
I dunno about everyone else, but 90% of my email is things like automated
alerts, team mailing lists, etc.

I reply to maybe 1% of my actual email, and I can't filter it for the once in
a never that its THE WORLD IS ENDING, and they need a response.

~~~
null_vector
If they world is burning, someone better tag me somewhere on slack or it will
be easily missed.

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itsdrewmiller
This article is from 2017 and I’m sure was on HN before.

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stochastimus
I never thought of this before. I guess the tl;dr is, in email replies, less
words is better.

~~~
gjvc
" _fewer_ words are better"

