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No one is trained to use email effectively

May 9, 2024

Everyone has a work email, but no one is trained to use it effectively.

We assume that team members know how to best manage their inbox because everyone has at least some experience managing emails.

But this is a bad assumption. In reality, almost everyone manages their inbox poorly.

They get email notifications, check when they come in, take a peek, and close it to respond at a later time (if they remember).

You’re left with a never-ending list and no way to tell what still needs your attention. The result? Things getting missed, often.

This is a very broken system.

Inbox 0 is the only solution. To treat every email like a support ticket.

If it’s open, it needs attention. Once handled, archive it. Want to stay on top of something? No problem, snooze it.

It’s crazy that this isn’t enforced… But I know why.

Because most leaders either don’t practice Inbox 0 themselves or have no idea how to enforce it.

Like anything else in business, you have to define what done looks like. In this case, it’s a screenshot of Inbox 0, at least weekly.

This is the most important universal responsibility, but also the most ignored. Without it communications are broken.

If I send an email to a team member, I need to know that it’s not going to get missed or forgotten.

I’m passionate about this because I’ve worked with teams that don’t practice Inbox 0, and with those that do. I choose Inbox 0, every time.

If you like the idea but find it hard to enforce, you need an accountability system, for this and all other company responsibilities.

If you need help creating accountability in your business, let me know.

See you all next Thursday 👋

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