Ghost email etiquette
A point of clarity; by ghost email I mean writing an email your boss can use as his or her own. This is a great way of leading up and showing alignment. I've always lived by the philosophy of never bring more work to your boss. He or she has enough to do already and adding to their workload is not helpful. I have this radar which warns me when I am bringing more work - problems versus solutions. It is always on.
To get a ghost email correct, it is important to understand a few things. What is important to your boss? What language do they use in verbal and written communication? What are their priorities?
If leader Nathan wanted subordinate Kay to take the lead on making improvements to inventory management but knew that Kay would need the help of others, Kay could provide Nathan with a ghost email to gain support for the effort. Accepting ownership for the task, Kay could tell Nathan she will send him a summary of how she will approach the project for clarity and alignment. In the email she could provide Nathan a ghost email for him to send to the group to gain support. Here is a way.
"Nathan, thanks for trusting me with improving our inventory management. I'll give it my all. I'll provide a brief update each week and brief the team once complete. Here is how I understand your intent: You want more real time clarity of our inventory to help you engage our suppliers, inform monthly financial decisions, and help the sales team effectively engage potential clients. I'll work with Sean the warehouse manager and the sales team to develop a plan and brief you on it. If you could include a comment on this in your weekly email to the team it would give it the leadership emphasis it deserves. I've provided a ghost email below to save you some time."
"Team, you are all aware of my recent frustrations over inventory management and my constant desire for innovation and growth. I've asked Kay to help us improve. She will need your support as she studies the problem and develops solutions to share with all of us. Please help her with this priority effort."
Etiquette.
Make it about the team, not, "can you send this out for me?"
Keep it short.
Write it as you believe they might. Use their language, not yours.
Be timely with it. Give your boss enough time to read it and use it in a timely manner
Be prepared to operate without it.
Ghost emails are useful in so many ways. You can help your boss engage with stakeholders you typically engage with or just get the leadership emphasis you need. Lead up! Manage your boss! I can help!
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell