M2 ep 011 - Inbox Dumpster Fire

If your team keeps filling your inbox with questions, updates, and requests for decisions, the problem may start before anyone writes an email. Jim worked with an executive who was spending much of her day responding to her team. She wanted to be available and helpful, but her own work kept getting pushed aside. When they reviewed her inbox together, they found capable people asking for things they needed to move forward: a decision, a priority, more context, or help with a blocker. In this episode, Jim and Thomas discuss the practice they put in place and why the executive reported a 40% reduction in internal email afterward. In this episode: Why being highly responsive can generate even more email What to look for when you review the messages your team sends you Two rules that make weekly one-on-ones a dependable place to get clarity How giving direct reports the first part of the agenda builds ownership Why clearer decision rights can reduce unnecessary questions and updates Try this: Look at the emails you’ve sent over the past few days. How many answered a question that could have been handled in a weekly conversation? How many involved a decision someone else could make if they knew they had the authority? Chapters 00:00 — The inbox problem 03:53 — What the team’s emails had in common 06:41 — Where the requests were coming from 07:33 — The weekly one-on-one practice 11:41 — Why a dependable meeting time matters 14:30 — Why the direct report leads the agenda 19:34 — What Jim would change about his own one-on-ones as CEO 22:01 — Clarifying who makes which decisions 27:34 — A three-week experiment