Email is a double-edged sword. We can communicate quickly and easily...which also means inboxes can really pile up. Busy executives can easily get hundreds of emails a day.

If you’re working with other top leaders in your organization, you need to know how to make decisions faster and with less back and forth. People are busy, and everyone is prone to decision fatigue.

To prevent frustration, confusion, and misunderstanding, here’s a simple email format I employed in my role as Chief of Staff to help make things easier on my CEO.

• What decision needs to be made?

  • Quickly sum up the decision.

• By when?

  • Is this a drop dead date, or an ideal scenario that might have flexibility?

• Concise background info

  • Context matters! But, keep it tight.

• Options, solutions, or next steps

  • Offer three solutions: A, B, C, and D: Other.

  • Be sure to include “D” so they don’t feel locked into the other solutions.

Sometimes I would just get a reply with a letter. Perfect! Saved us all a meeting.

Of course, this format will take some upfront work on your part. But trust me, it’s worth it. Take the time to gather pertinent information. Anticipate what kinds of questions they’ll have, and what information will answer those questions. Think through the situation yourself. While it might be tempting to run to someone else for the answer, you can reduce the back-and-forth by giving yourself time to think things through. 

All this good work gives your executive a huge head start on getting to a decision. They’ll thank you for making their life easier.

About The Author

Emily Sander is an ICF-certified leadership coach with more than 15 years of experience in the business world and the author of Hacking Executive Leadership. She’s been featured in several print publications, online articles, and podcasts, including CEO Today Magazine, Leading to Fulfillment, and Leadership Powered by Common Sense. 

Emily has a passion for helping business leaders reach their full potential. Go here to read her story from seasoned executive to knowledgeable coach. If you want to send Emily a quick message, then visit her contact page here.