The Muse columnist Sara McCord gave the Advisory Board tips leaders can use to zero-out their inbox without scrimping on quality responses.
1. “I’ll follow up with you in about X amount of time.” If an email response requires more time than available to you at the moment, shoot off a quick note to let that person know when to expect a response. A simple acknowledgement you received the sender’s message lets him or her know their message is valuable to you.
2. “I’m coming up on a deadline.” Most people understand the daily challenge of juggling high priority demands. Letting them know you’re momentarily detained by a looming deadline is a valid way to buy time to respond adequately, and it’s an excuse many people respect.
3. “Let me run this by my colleague who is currently out of the office.” Some email responses require you to obtain internal feedback, follow up or receive approval before you can reply. Send a quick note saying you’re on the case to account for a lengthier response time.
4. “Check less often.” While prompt communication is important for hospital leadership, obsessively refreshing your inbox can detract from other types of productivity and add unnecessary stress to your day. Ms. McCord recommended hospital leaders check their inboxes at minimum twice a day and at most twice an hour.
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