Create an Email Charter

Most organizations are full of email waste and confusion causing employees everywhere to proclaim that they get too many emails and that there must be a better way.

But what if the answer was simply to write better emails?

Or better yet, what if everyone in your company operated under an email charter that was included in onboarding new employees, shared with everyone twice a year, and highlighted during regular team meetings?  

What would you include in your charter?

Consider the following email charter clauses for your organization...

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Requests > Demands

Consider these leadership math equations:

• Requests + Agency = Empowerment and Ownership
• Demands + Edicts = Resentment and Resignation

When someone at work says, “I need you to do x, y, and z asap,” do you feel any connection to the work?

No, you don’t.

How does the situation change when the need is posed as a request?

You now hear, “I have a request, are you able to complete x, y, and z by 5:00 pm this afternoon?”

You feel

• Respected
• Empowered
• Valued

This shift in how you approach work that needs to be done is a chance to provide agency and ownership to those around you. Ultimately, the same task will be completed, but now team members are part of the solution and not just a cog in the endless machine of utility.

Who Does What By When

A great meeting can help to move an organization forward if clear action items and deadlines are assigned to specific owners.  That is why one of the best ways to be accountable and to create better meeting etiquette and effectiveness is always to determine WHO will do WHAT by WHEN.

WHO – Always have an owner. That does not mean the owner does 100% of the work, but the owner is always responsible for completing the task and communicating any changes to the scope or timeline.  

WHAT – Create a clear understanding among the stakeholders as to what is being done next. Repeat the task in plain language and ask if everyone has the same interpretation of the plan. Failure to get this part right can lead to major upset later.

WHEN – Be specific as to what date and time the task will be completed, and even include the time zone for any group that spans multiple zones. Remember also that COB (Close of Business) is a relative term, whereas 5:00 pm CST is a specific deadline that translates equally to all stakeholders.

If you get into the WHO does WHAT by WHEN habit within your team, you will notice increased speed, trust, and accountability – a winning recipe for ultimate impact!