Yep. Basically you need to respect their time, and not ask them to duplicate the work you’ve already done. This is especially important for executives, but works well on anyone… if you really need someone to do a thing or answer a question, make it easy for them to focus on completing your ask.
Address the email to one person who you need action from.
Tell them succinctly:
Why is this important? What do you need from them right now?
After that, preemptively provide the answers to any followup questions they might ask - give them further context so they don’t have to dig for it. Don’t ask them to read a whole email string below if you can summarize it.
0xD@infosec.pub 6 days ago
That’s right. The brains of these super-efficient high performers and most valuable members of our society are so above everyone else, that they need babysitting and special care taken of their needs. It’s why they also deserve to get paid so much more than everyone else and not have any actual responsibility for their genius decisions!
Every day I feel so bad for these leaders and am inspired by the self-sacrifice they bring to make the world a better place.
TeamAssimilation@infosec.pub 5 days ago
Dude, tell me you haven’t been in a management position without yadda yadda etc.
They’re not genius or more valuable, their workflow is different. In development I could solve the same problem for days, and know the ins and outs of it; as a manager. When I pivoted to management, I understood I have people who know their shit, so I don’t have to worry about the details while I make sure they have everything they need to accomplish our compromises.
I had to learn to let go of the tech work so I could be more effective as a manager. I’d love to talk about Postgres optimization during dinner, but I can’t devote much time to that during the work day. That’s someone else’s job. I’ll just give them the resources.