Email Pet Peeve: Read Receipts
Wassamatter?! Don’t you trust me?
I can see using this in a potentially legal situation, but other than that, give it a rest.
Oh. And besides, it takes time to set these up!
What is YOUR Pet e-peeve? We’d love to know!
Does the Boss Really Want Copies of all Your Emails?
As you go up the corporate ladder, the number of email messages received seems to increase exponentially.
While its understandable that the air becomes more rare, and there are fewer people in each hierarchical level, we have to question whether some of these emails going to the boss are truly valuable to him or her. Of course, the boss needs to know what’s going on in the organization. Of course he or she needs to be briefed on problems and their resolution. But are individual emails the best way?
With senior level execs getting 150-200 e-messages a day, do you really believe that all of them will be read thoroughly? Do you believe that by merely sending a copy of that message, he or she will “get what’s going on? Or – let’s get real now – are you covertly trying to get in good with the boss. Or even worse, are you delegating upward?
Here are a few thoughts…
If you’re trying to keep that great boss informed by simply adding him or her as a copy, consider alternatives. How about a daily digest? How about an executive summary? Or how about forwarding your sent mail with a quick summary at the top?
If you’re trying to get on the boss’s good side, think again. You might be seen as a pest, a brown-noser, or suckup. At minimum, be cautious about becoming a nuisance. The more emails you copy to the boss, the fewer will be read. Kinda like the boy who cried wolf.
And if you’re copying the boss as a way of abdicating responsibility, stop. Bosses want people to to be accountable, to take responsibility. Your including them as a cc doesn’t delegate to them – at best, it annoys them.
And if you’re not sure what the boss wants or needs, here’s a novel approach – ASK!!!
Time is precious. Involve the higher ups in the most efficient effective way. If you are considerate of their time, it’ll circle back to you.
37,000 in her email inbox? Detox for ABC Boston reporter Kelley Tuthill…
You’ll enjoy this 2 minute ABC News Boston segment.
Reporter Kelley Tuthill has only 37,000 items in her inbox, and that’s only one of her many email accounts.
Click here to watch. The accompanying article ain’t bad either!
Ask Marsha: My problem is that I am addicted. I check my e-mail 24/7. I know I should check my e-mail only periodically but I can’t seem to stick to it… What can I do?
This solution comes under the heading of working to manage yourself even better. Sometimes we understand what we need to change, yet we have a hard time making the change. Making changes takes focus, and energy. If you focus on making this change, and practice it for 21 to 28 days, you will most likely be able to make this shift. You have got to believe that you can do it. This sounds simple, but it is not. But it is possible.
Email Pet Peeve: Senseless Autoresponders
I really don’t need to see an autoresponder that says “Thanks for your message. I will respond to you as soon as I can.”
Duh…
What is YOUR Pet e-peeve? We’d love to know!
