I’d like to share with you what I believe is the most important thing get right with emails.
Why would I do that on a blog dedicated to training leaders to lead with kindness and confidence? Let me explain.
Email is a major part of our lives. Let’s get it right.
If I asked you to list the top 10 things that annoy you and your team, I’m confident you would include something about email on the list. People send and receive an astonishing number of emails each day.
With each email we send, we have the opportunity to build people up. To make their day easier and more productive. That’s kindness in action.
But there’s a problem, emails that make us more productive are not the norm. In fact, most emails do exactly the opposite.
Our teams waste precious time wading through and deciphering confusing text. We have cluttered inboxes and full servers. Our frustration with each other grows with every bad email we get.
So, what can we do?
We need to control what we can control, the emails we write. In those emails, we need to focus first on just one thing, the most important thing.
The most important thing to get right with emails
What is this most important one thing? It’s this.
We must be clear about who we are seeking to serve with each email we send.
Or stated another way, “Who are we writing for?”
I recommend you should write for those who will receive your emails. Seems obvious, right? But it’s not always that case.
Decide who you’re writing for and be honest
Notice I said writing “for” not writing “to“.
“To” determines the recipients of your email, those who will have it show up in their inboxes. That’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m talking about deciding if you’re actually writing for them, the people who will get your email or for someone else.
Writing for you? Fine. Just don’t copy anyone else.
Based on my personal experience in writing and reading a staggering number of emails throughout my career, there is a good chance that you may be writing to others but for yourself.
Here are some tell-tale signs you might be writing for yourself instead of your readers.
- You use a format you like even though people regularly tell you it’s hard to read on their phones.
- All of your emails include all the details because you don’t want to forget them but the recipients only need a summary.
- You know you should include bullet items for the key points, but you don’t have time. They’ll figure out.
If you’re writing for yourself, I’m not judging. In fact, that list was super easy for me to make because I’ve done every one of those things. And more.
So, if you are intentionally writing for your own benefit, more power to you. Write in a way that is best for your intended reader: You.
But, please don’t copy anyone else on your emails. You aren’t writing the email for them so why would you send the email to them?
Don’t clutter their inbox.
I’m confident you actually want to write for others
But I suspect you don’t actually want to be writing for yourself.
You are reading this blog because you want to learn to lead with kindness and confidence. You care about your teammates. Filling their inboxes with emails written for you but sent to them is not intentional.
The problem is writing for ourselves is easy and natural. So, we have to always keep asking ourselves this critical question.
Am I writing for my readers or myself?
This gives us the mindset that will drive every aspect of our emails.
Asking “Who we are writing for?” affects every aspect of our emails
Focusing our minds on writing for our readers and not ourselves is the crucial first step. It impacts everything about the emails we send.
We apply this mindset by investing the time to thoughtfully consider each section of the email and make intentional decisions.
For instance,
- Does the subject line convey enough information for the reader to know if and when they need to open the full email?
- Are the appropriate people included on the email? Are they in the “To” field if they need to take action? Should anyone be removed?
- Is the body of the email easy to read on a mobile device? Have you checked by sending a copy to your phone and previewing it?
- If you’ve asked someone to call you, does your signature include your phone number so they don’t have to look up your number?
Won’t this take a lot of time? Is it really worth it?
First. Yes. It will take time. But not a lot. And less as you practice.
Is it worth it?
Serving your teammates and helping them do their work more productively is almost always worth the time you invest.
Regarding investing time in email, making it easier for your reader to open your email, read it, and take the action you are asking them to take is absolutely worth the time you invest.
After all, you aren’t sending the email so it sits unopened in someone’s inbox. Or, to have it read but not understood.
Beyond these practical outcomes, your emails can have an even more important impact on your team environment.
Avoid the negative impacts on your teammates with every email you send
We’ve all received emails from people who clearly aren’t writing for us. You know the one. The email that you see pop in your inbox then start to read but your mind is immediately filled with questions like these.
- Do I need to open this email?
- Why am I even copied on this?
- What is this person trying to say?
- What is the point? I’ll have to read this later when I have more time to dig through all the text.
Even opening the email is a drag. And, we dread going back to read it later. So we usually don’t.
Think about what that does to your attitude and your productivity. It usually wrecks them both.
By seeking to serve and care for others with every email you send, you can avoid dragging your teammates down.
By writing for them, you can boost their productivity and their attitude.
Create emails that have a positive impact on your teammates instead
While every email you send has the potential to negatively impact your teammates, each message you send can also build them up.
Of course, kind words and positive comments included in the email text have that effect. But writing for the benefit of the recipient, positively impacts them in other ways. Just like poorly-written emails drag us down, well-written emails build us up.
When we get an email that produces these type of responses, we are more productive. We’re energized not drained.
- I can tell from the subject that I don’t need to read this until later.
- My action item and deadline is obvious to me just by scanning the text on my phone.
- I invested less than a minute to quickly read the email and I clearly understand the point.
We all want to receive emails like this.
Set the example with your emails. Others will follow.
You don’t write any of the emails you receive, but you do write every one you send.
You are 100% in control of 100% of the emails you create and send.
That’s great news because it means you have the opportunity to have a positive impact on every person you email.
Want to make a positive impact on your team? Start with your emails.
Once you start, others will follow. Especially if you tell them what you are doing and why you are doing it. Model and train your teammates on how to care for others through the emails they send and the benefit will come back to you.
Will everyone put in the effort to write for others and not just to them? No.
But even if only one person follows the pattern you set, you’ll still have a few more positive, energizing emails in your inbox. And, that’s good for you.
What an opportunity we have with every email we send
I truly believe having this mindset is the most important thing to get right with our emails.
We must be clear about who you are seeking to serve with each email we send.
We have to honestly answer the question, “Who are we writing for?”.
If our answer is we are writing for those who receive our emails and not for ourselves, we have an amazing opportunity to do great things.
We can care for our teammates and lead them with kindness and confidence using something we already do countless times every day.
So what do you say?
Are you committed to writing for your teammates through the emails you send to them?
I am and I hope you are too.
Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.
Greg
Discussion Questions
- Do you agree that writing for others is the most important thing to get right with our emails? What might be more important?
- What are some other important aspects of writing good emails?
Please share your answers to these questions in the comments section. I’m interested in learning more from you.
