How we think and talk about things matters.

Sometimes we say one thing and people hear another. Or, we may not give enough space for people to be heard, so the work slows down or can’t be accomplished because they are still processing it emotionally or intellectually. Sometimes we need to get clear in our own heads first or get more information/data before deciding on the next step.

Enter frameworks. They help a lot, so here are a bunch of them. Borrow, copy, edit, or ignore as needed, and feel free to pass this along to anyone who might benefit. You can also subscribe to the newsletter to get a note when new ones are added.

tl;dr your friends, family, community, mentors, and network, sometimes they're right, but sometimes they're wrong — the important thing is to make & keep updating your framework for WHO you will take advice from and WHY.

Some of the things on my framework:

a) Have they done the thing I'm trying to do?

b) Is the advice angled toward strategy, execution, or philosophy? It can be a mix, but very few people are good at all three.

c) Do they provide translations for things they've learned? E.g., if they can share how they learned and then incorporated/repurposed an idea or tactic, this often contains good info so I can then experiment with it.

d) Are they in my shoes? Good advice isn't always universal—the same negotiating tactics men are praised for, for example, will put a woman or non-binary individual in the penalty box. Experience, background, perspective, these things matter.

tl;dr — remote / distributed teams are more common now than ever, but people still struggle to see the concept as real, and waste time on meaningless meetings and tools. this is a quick set of tips for getting things done, and enjoying the people you work with or that work for you.

1) Focus on iteration and momentum

A common problem in both an office setting and with a distributed team is that your schedule starts to contain too many meetings. Since very little work actually gets done in those, it can quickly demoralize a team and wreck whatever you’re working on.

Six 10-minute meetings to work out a feature for a product/service are almost always more useful than one 60-minute meeting. This is critical for teams that primarily communicate via phone or video chat. Good constraints = good work, and if you can’t figure out the next step in 10 minutes you probably need to work on it more.  Also from a motivational perspective, it feels good to do things over time and to get momentum.

Something no one will tell you: the above goes for fun stuff, too. Not everyone is comfortable spending 19 minutes of an hour-long meeting talking about personal stuff when there’s work to be done, so don’t do it. Keep a channel or space open just for the fun stuff. Don’t be afraid to say “hey I need to clear my brain, does anyone want to hop on and hang out for 5 mins?”

2) When you’re doing specific, task-based work, make sure to look at a document / visual / sketch together

Part of iteration is about delivering a plan, even if that plan needs to change. Depending on your team and work styles, you may use different tools. It doesn’t really matter which tools you use, it matters that you are looking at the same thing.

There’s a much deeper and more scientific explanation for this, but the basic reason is that we all have our own model for structure in our brains. How each of us thinks about a plan is going to be different, and unless it’s out there in the world and on a whiteboard, in a doc, etc… then we can’t possibly collaborate with other people in a way that accounts for the model in their brain.

Here are a couple of things you can use:

Mindmeister – anything you put into a word doc you can turn into a visual representation/map, including bullet points, lists, etc... has a google docs plugin, look for “Add-ons” on your toolbar.

Draw.io – easy way to draw diagrams. can get complex, but the basic version is great. It also has a google docs plug-in.

3) Keep in mind that the biggest difference between a physical office and remote work is in how we collaborate and inspire each other

One of the things you have less control over as a distributed team is the “out of sight out of mind” problem. Creative thinking, brainstorming, and unusual ideas, these are all expressed via our connection to other people. Google called it 80/20 time, but really it’s just creativity.

Visual collaboration tools and real-time video can help, but you’re still just seeing what’s in the frame not a person’s entire experience on the other side of the terminal. Setting aside 30 minutes for pure weird ideas / thinking out loud together time can make a huge difference. You may also want to find other ways to “drop in” which can include things like playing online Tetris together, 10 minutes to write a complete story together with everyone contributing one short paragraph (basically, Mad Libs), or simply listening to music together now on turntable.fm. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you hold time and space for not work things.

Additional Resources

GitLab’s remote/work-from-home starter guide

Zapier’s guide to working remotely

Twist remote work guides

Holloway guide to remote work (comprehensive)

tl;dr —  with nearly any project or task big or small it helps to start by framing the goals, output, any technical constraints, people involved, etc. This template is an example of how to do it, but your template will vary. Also, for smaller tasks and projects you may not need to complete a full brief every time, as the goal isn’t to add extra work but rather to make things repeatable and get used to finding all potential data, ideas, problems, and opportunities.

For general / content marketing style projects:

Who is the audience? What are the timelines/due dates? Are there any design or content references provided?

Does the client (internal or external) need further consultation to help them define deliverables?

How many total deliverables are there in the project? Are there variations or versions for different audience segments? Is there copywriting needed before the design starts?

Is there any preview/testing we need to do before completing or delivering it? E.g. email newsletter template

Phase 1: Discovery / Research

- User studies, meetings in person/virtual
- Raw data, semi-structured data, analysis, strategy, analytics data, Google Trends, etc.
- Any other data sources? Benchmark examples from our industry and outside
- Examples and references

Phase 2: Requirements & Specs

- Development/technical resources needed (if any)
- Deadlines/timing constraints
- Roles – who will work on which deliverables
- Identify stakeholders at XYZ org that might be needed for review or approval
- Project plan with all of the above (informal or formal) - make visible to everyone involved

Phase 3: Ideation

- Examples/references that we like
- Competitor examples design + content
- Sketch approaches or models

Phase 4: Prototype / Concept

- First draft(s) created and delivered
- Feedback from clients/stakeholders (as appropriate), revision rounds etc.
- Any technical constraints identified

Phase 5: Testing

- Cross-platform (multiple browsers, mobile, tablet, on/off XYZ org network) and check load time (are final files compressed etc)
- As needed, place content in the distribution channel and preview (preview email template, place on xyz.com test page, share on social etc)

Phase 6: Deliver finals/implementation

- Final feedback from clients/stakeholders incorporated
- Deliver files, content etc.
- Close job/project and make sure final materials are stored/archived as appropriate

Additional research/framing questions for more technical projects:

Is this project/feature/issue critical, important, high, medium, or low priority? Why?

What is the problem description, pain points, where is it happening, and qualitative + quantitative data that can be used to understand this issue?

How many users (current/prospective customers, internal staff, etc.) is this issue affecting? How often?

Are there any current workarounds?

What are the tradeoffs of workarounds and/or simply not addressing the issue?

tl;dr – for managers, learning to say "no" or "yes, and" isn't just about the current moment, it's also about signaling what you will accept in the future and what your team will accept, too. If you don't have many "no's" or "not right now's" in your toolkit, or it's been a while since you've used them, below are 12 ways to break them out and practice.

Bonus: there are also some good tips in this fellow.app blog post about how to say no at work.

1. Thanks for reaching out – my team is at capacity currently and can't take this on.

2. Hi X, there's a lot here - we’d need to pause at least one of our current projects to make it happen.

3. I’d love to, but we don’t have the bandwidth right now. That said, I’m happy to schedule time to talk through other ways to resource this.

4. This sounds interesting, but we’re over capacity until [month, quarter]. Can we kick it off in a few weeks?

5. I appreciate the thought, but this is outside my team's area of expertise, have you already connected with X and Y about it?

6. Quick question - this is a new [initiative, project], correct? If so, we'll need to reprioritize some things.

7. We may be able to squeeze it in depending on what you're thinking - can you put together a one-sheet so I can discuss it with my team?

8. Sadly, we don’t have capacity for this at the moment - have you already reached out to X and Y teams to check their availability?

9. Can you provide more information on the goal here? We don't work on this, but may be able to provide some guidance to get it started.

10. Thanks for getting in touch - this looks like a significant project, let’s kick off X next week and talk more about how to resource Y and Z from there.

11. We do have that expertise but are at max capacity already. Can we chat tomorrow about additional resources needed to make it happen?

12. Sounds like we need to reprioritize - can you take a look at our project list and let me know your thoughts on what we can move around?

*Note: sometimes people say, "well, that doesn't work because my boss refuses to negotiate with me" ...which often breaks down into one of two things:

a) If a manager, founder, or executive literally says, "you do exactly what I ask and there's no discussion," and this is a consistent pattern, you can start looking for & putting energy into other opportunities because nothing they offer you is likely to be followed through on.

b) You're matching & decoding expectations that are implied and not said out loud... this does not make them any less valid, and it's not a judgment, but practicing making those things visible by saying no or not right now, is either going to give you more agency, or clarity on scenario A.

tl;dr —  reporting, scorecards, metrics, tracking, at the end of the day, no matter the name, it’s all about accountability and opportunity. While industries, roles, and technologies will vary, this framework breaks down how to use scorecards to create transparency plus motivate your team to focus and hit their marks.

Scorecards are a growth mechanism

While metrics drive accountability and a level playing field, as a manager, they’re also about reinforcing how your team uses them to understand what’s working and what’s not and choose what to pursue next. Rather than making someone feel inadequate or behind, a scorecard should provide clarity.

Milestones/goals are static, inputs are flexible

As a leader, you get buy-in from your own manager and organizational leadership when you and your team hit goals. The inputs to get there may require conversation and collaboration, but the choice of inputs (or changes to them) needs to come from the person driving the results on the scorecard.

This flexibility allows for changes by the person closest to what is working. And it creates room for growth in new areas. Salesperson discovers a new way to get people to sign up for demos? Great, expand it.  Project manager finds a new tool, helps everyone onboard, saves 20% or more on a standard project? Fantastic, give them the room to invest more in that area.

Focus on clarifying goals, sharing context, and advising on what activities to pursue

Many first-time managers make the mistake of offering detailed instructions on tactics, which can feel like micromanagement to their team and limit growth. Once you clarify the overall goals, it’s wise to shift into a different role where you advise and collaborate on a scorecard.

Exactly how you do this will depend on the learning style of an individual contributor. For example, if someone is a planner and enjoys creating the overall strategy before getting feedback, you may be able to say, “that sounds great, I’ll share a few examples in case they’re helpful, but feel free to structure it and send with me when you’re ready for feedback.”

If someone on your team processes more in real-time, a better way to start may be scheduling a few minutes to walk through an example scorecard and discuss questions and ideas.

What a good scorecard looks like

This is going to vary depending on industry and role, but in general, the following is a good starting point:

Annual Goal 1: [big picture number goes here]

Quarterly Goal: [based on annual goal]

Input #1 - if I drive X number, that will lead to Y (adds to quarterly goal)

Input #2 - drive X, leads to Y

Input #3 - drive X, leads to Y

Input #4 - drive X, leads to Y

Experimental input #1 - drive X, we believe it may lead to Y

Experimental Input #1 - drive X, we believe it may lead to Y

Maintenance Input #1 - if we do ABC, will make it faster/easier to do main inputs 1/2

Maintenance Input #1 - if we do ABC, will make it faster/easier to do main inputs ¾

Professional development input #1 - this is often a soft skill that doesn’t directly map to inputs but is likely to increase confidence and efficacy and provide perspective on what’s working or not.

Professional development input #2 - same as above

Inputs: these should be levers you can pull because you or your team has done it before, or others doing similar work have found success with it (role and industry/vertical best practice)

Depending on how much data you have access to start, some of your inputs may have more validated math than others. For example, if you run a sales team, you may have 8+ quarters of data on how product demos lead to sales. So demos could be one of the main inputs you expect to drive sales growth.

Experimental inputs: these allow an individual contributor to do some research, try something new, or pursue an idea they’ve seen work but aren’t sure how to make repeatable.

Maintenance Input: this should be something that, if completed, you believe will make main plus experimental inputs move faster and smoother. For example, you may suggest that someone on your team use a new data source that could help them get context, so the goal would be to connect that data source, test it out, and then regularly use it each time they work on the input task.

tl;dr  —  some people will tell you to try not to make mistakes, to spend your time being wary of what might happen. A better way to look at it is to focus on what you want to do, what matters, what feels right, and what is meaningful. this framework will help you stay accountable for when you fall short as a leader.

Always know you are capable of screwing up

Remember that all humans are capable of all things. The worst person you've met can come up with a good idea or take meaningful action, and the smartest, most amazing person you know is capable of doing something stupid or wrong. When we create a pattern for good or bad we tend to continue to act in that way, but it is not a given. Remembering this is extremely important for the next part of the framework.

Gather information without judgment

When you make a mistake, the most important thing is to look into it without rushing to judgment about why or how it occurred. This is hard. Screwing up can feel very personal, like a judgment on our life — we feel that either we messed up and are bad, or we did good and are good. Neither of these is usually accurate.

The more people there are affected by the screw-up, and the higher the stakes, the faster we want to resolve it. This is because it’s an uncomfortable feeling to make a big mistake. You’ll want to set a timeline. Whether it’s 15 minutes, 15 hours, or a couple of weeks. If the situation is a crisis you’ll have less time, but it’s important to set aside some time to listen to anyone involved and to question yourself without “deciding what happened” ….it’s very rare that you’ll be able to assess correctly without some separation between screwing up and acting to fix it.

Once you have information, set aside quiet time to see how it feels

This is especially counter-intuitive to people who think a lot / have high brain activity. In fact, it’s one of the most critical things you can do. Again, it can be a short amount of time, but it’s important that you set it aside. Going to the beach, riding a bike, or taking a shower, that’s when the good ideas happen and it’s also when you are best attuned to listening to the deeper threads in your head and your heart, which is what you’ll need to access how / why you made a mistake.

Acknowledge the mistake, simply and honestly

Once you've dug into the underlying reasons/feelings around the mistake, put it in plain terms for yourself and/or your team. This step in particular requires some space before and after. Don’t try to make decisions when you are acknowledging, and don’t try to keep taking in a bunch of new information. This is the place to breathe out and do the hard work of letting go of your ego, not justifying anything that led to the mistake even if you can.

Make a change and stick to it

If it’s a mistake you made in the context of a company, team, or project, then explain why you’re making a change. Be concise. If you can’t then you may need to return to the previous steps.

If it’s a mistake that primarily impacts you, decide what you can live with. Then let go of it. There’s very little to be gained by trying to change a decision. If you don’t like some aspects of it, remember that for the next time.

Mark the mistake in your mind, and return to it now and then

What does it feel like? Look like? What were the circumstances and who were the people involved? You don’t need to do a huge revisit of the mistake constantly, just know what it felt like and what the environment around the mistake was. Be explicit in thinking through the mistake as you encounter situations that feel or look the same. They may be different, and that’s ok, the goal is to use the information in a healthy way, not point fingers or act out of fear.

One of the most challenging moments in managing is when you correct or reset someone on your team.

When done too quickly or with minimal structure, you risk long-lasting damage to someone’s career, particularly if they are early in their career and learning core communication skills.

Doing it well typically requires three steps:

1) Start by getting more context/info for their motivations/barriers

Often, you can ask a simple question or mention that you noticed something and are curious to know more about it.

Depending on the response, you may need to ask another question, e.g., "you said X, tell me more about that," or "is there a specific part of XYZ that makes you feel most rushed?"

From there, you'll say something like, "thank you, that's helpful to get more context" or "I appreciate you sharing that."

2) Create space for reflection/absorbing information

You may need to give the person time, e.g., a few hours or 1-2 days, to reflect or absorb it.

You yourself may also need time to absorb and see if noticing it was enough for the person to adjust or come back to you with a question or idea instead of you as their manager, making the common mistake of trying to "fix" everything all at once.

3) Frame and deliver the correction, guidance, or reset with specific examples

With a correction moment, always be specific, direct, and clear about how and why you are addressing their behavior.

One of the biggest mistakes that even experienced managers make is not spending the time to think about and connect the information from steps 1 and 2 to what will be most impactful and meaningful to the person on the receiving end of a reset or correction.

Also, be prepared for various responses, as they may not have been corrected like this before, so if they feel ashamed, upset, or scared, you may need to listen and/or repeat the correction (potentially with more context).

Before you review the examples in the next 3 sections, here are two important notes:

#1 — These examples may translate to working with more experienced team members but they can also feel dismissive or pedantic if they know these things already. In those cases, make sure to listen first to understand what their skill/experience level is on a particular task/initiative, and put them in the driver's seat to redirect themselves if they readily identify the issue, e.g., “I noticed XYZ, could you share more with me about that?” > “thanks for sharing, that’s good context” > “what things can I do to reinforce you in making that change? would X, Y, or something else help?” OR “I hear you, let’s talk more about how I can get that barrier out of your way”

#2 — If someone is in crisis or a heightened state, e.g., fight or flight, (re)direction can work, but in most cases, you will need to first listen & reinforce them in being/feeling safe without correction before you can use any of the examples below.

The scenario: Paulo consistently completes tasks or requests requiring more time/research.

Step 1 – Get more context/info for their motivations/barriers

"Hey Paulo, do you have a minute? I want to ask you about something."

"Ok great, my question has to do with XYZ project. I noticed that you completed it in less than a day. I wanted to ask if you felt rushed/hurried?"

Depending on what they share, you may need to ask another question or two, e.g., "you said X, tell me more about that," or "would you walk me through your process or steps you take?”

If they don’t acknowledge the work product was rushed or not at the quality level needed, you may need to point that out, e.g., “thank you, I appreciate you sharing that. Frankly, I think the report/task needs more fleshing out.”

Step 2 – Create space for reflection/absorbing information

"Thank you for sharing, it’s helpful for me to learn more about your working style - you know, early in my career, I didn't get much guidance, so I rushed through projects as well, kind of like cramming the night before a test or exam in school.

As I gained more experience, I noticed that building in time & steps helps to deliver the best outcome.”

Step 3 – Frame and deliver the correction, guidance, or reset with specific examples

“You'll develop your own style, but here are a few steps I take on every project or task, even the small ones…

Step 1 - Discovery / Research - I look for existing data, reports, examples, and references to start.

Step 2 - Requirements & Specs - then, I outline the requirements; for example, I note the due date or any timing constraints, break down the roles on a project, including if I need to schedule meetings for feedback, and any technical resources (if required)

Step 3 - Create An Outline - in this step, I create a quick frame, put in some ideas, and ensure I’m not missing anything. For example, if I deliver a report, I might include the overall goals and a topic for each section with bullet points underneath. I might also create a prototype or model.

Step 4 - First Draft - here, I’ll create & share the first draft, get feedback from any stakeholders as needed, note any additional technical constraints or red flags and then make edits.

Step 5 - Second Draft - once I’ve gotten feedback & know I’m on the right track, I’ll work on a second draft and may share that back to stakeholders once again or with additional people as a working draft.

Step 6 - Proofread & Implement/Deliver - to finish things off, I set aside time for proofreading, where I check for typos, grammar, spelling, sentences that are confusing etc., and by this point, I shouldn’t have to change anything significant as it’s more about presentation than the core material.

That’s a lot of information, so I’ll pause for a second to see if you have any questions or feedback…”

If Paulo has feedback, questions, etc., thank them for that, too, and add additional context or examples, trying to keep it direct & focused on the model you shared.

You can also offer to follow up with another example plus share your template for framing a new project (look for the “project brief template” if you need a starting point).

Close by reiterating the goals & your support, e.g., “thank you, it was helpful for me to learn more about your work style as well - keep me posted as you practice using this structure, and I think that you’ll find it will help you establish clear communications with our whole team as well XYZ department.

Then, follow-up with an email, which can be pre-drafted, “Hi Paulo, good chatting with you re: framing a project/task, a quick recap below is below, along with an example + template I use that you are welcome to remix.”

If Paulo forgets about or ignores the conversation in a few days, a week, etc., you can redirect ‘Hey Paulo, can you run this through the new project steps/process we talked about the other week? Then, send me a draft, and I’ll make sure to get you timely feedback.”

Example scenario: Paulo is often distracted, emailing/checking their phone during meetings, talking over people, etc.

Step 1 – Get more context/info for their motivations/barriers

"Hi Paulo, I want to connect with you about how we show up for meetings. I’ve noticed you sometimes send emails or are on your phone during meetings, which can lead to things like talking over people in the room/on the call…”

[you may need to prompt Paulo or ask more questions to get some specifics about their habits]

Step 2 – Create space for reflection/absorbing information

“Part of our job is to be good partners & colleagues internally and externally, which includes listening and taking notes, so we don’t miss important details.

Of course, I’m aware that not everyone at XYZ org operates this way, but I want to make sure people appreciate & respect your work and don’t have a perception of you as careless or distracted, and that comes from having good habits and staying present.”

Step 3 – Frame and deliver the correction, guidance, or reset with specific examples

“In general, I expect all of us to stay present, take the time to listen and put aside any distractions.

For example:

• Putting your phone on silent / away during meetings except for emergency calls

• Staying with the agenda and asking questions at the right moment for each topic so we value/respect each other’s time

• If you do find yourself frustrated by a conversation, which happens to all of us at times, finding a way to work through it without disrupting colleagues (for example, doodling on a notepad)

Ultimately, because we are accountable to our customers/users/audiences, and taking the time to be present in meetings and in our communication helps us deliver better outcomes for them, as well as ensure colleagues have a positive impression of you and your work.

Does this give you a better sense of my expectations? I’m open to your thoughts, questions, or feedback…”

Example scenario: Paulo creates a task/output in XYZ Tool that would be better suited to ABC tool, or that the organization is required to use.

Step 1 – Get more context/info for their motivations/barriers

"Hey Paulo, I notice you’ve been using XYZ for many of our reports/deliverables - is there a specific reason you’re using that vs. ABC?”

[you may need to prompt them for more information e.g. “would you walk me through your process for that?”

Step 2 – Create space for reflection/absorbing information

“Ok, got it, thank you, that’s helpful to know – while I understand where you are coming from, there are sometimes specific circumstances that require us to use A or B tool.

For example, not everyone at the organization is familiar with XYZ tool/app, which limits feedback and the ability to add comments.

Another factor is getting feedback & making edits, which is difficult or impossible if another team/department doesn’t have access to XYZ tool/app.”

Step 3 – Frame and deliver the correction, guidance, or reset with specific examples

“There are cases where XYZ tool/app is worthwhile - particularly when we’re designing something for an external presentation or for the public, but for most internal documents, I expect you to use ABC.

Going forward, I’d like you to default to ABC tool for D and E type of deliverables, and if you are working on something and feel XYZ is a better tool/app, let me know and we can talk through it.

Is this helpful to clarify my expectations for which tools/apps to use?”

tl;dr  —  when you start a new job, the first several days are important. for managers, it’s even more critical because the questions you ask and how you position yourself will let people know what to expect as you interact with folks at all levels.

1:1 walkthrough of the org chart with your boss — if they haven’t already brought it up, ask your manager for time to talk through the different people & teams at the organization, and pay special attention to how decisions are made & who makes them - quick read Anne Libby’s post about the invisible org chart beforehand (3 minutes).

Workflows & operations norms with your boss — similar to the above, schedule time to ask, how does the immediate team normally communicate? When do we use Slack vs. email vs. Asana or PM software and why? Do the founders or executives drop into meetings or projects, and if they do, when/why? See also: sample questions on “Ways of Working” in this guide to finding the ideal tech job by Elisa Valdez de Ramirez, Software Engineering Manager at Strava.

Introduce yourself — sit down and write/share a fun intro of yourself via email or Slack/messaging (try to find this by searching or ask where/how people normally introduce themselves)

Note: even if you’ve already introduced yourself in a meeting, some people need to read it, plus this gives you an opportunity to be the author of your own voice & story, share a bit about your work style, areas you care about, what people can expect from you/how you collaborate and some fun tidbits to share your personality and give people a way to relate to you.

Make time early on to “show the work” — this is an important time for you to lead & show emotional intelligence (EQ). One way to do this is to talk about current events and/or work that’s happening in the organization, internally on messaging or email channels or via social media like LinkedIn. You can also reference and champion people on your team and around you e.g. “XYZ person, in particular, said something ghat stuck with me, noting ABC point. This is important because of X and Y.”

Make a list of “Repeatables & Reminders” for example, a “react or respond” sticky note — keep this on your laptop, and use it to pause (the checklist below can help as well)

• Is this email, text, DM, or question in a meeting really urgent or can it wait?

• Am I the right person to handle this request or make this decision? If not, who should I loop in?

• Do I need to pose a clarifying question or check my understanding of the request/demand/question?

• Should I respond with a “got this & giving some thought, will be back with you soon” or is it less urgent and I can just respond later or tomorrow, etc.?

• Is this person trying to get a reaction out of me? (e.g. is this an active ally, neutral party who doesn’t get involved, or active antagonist)

Leadership style: calm, cool & consistent — you will find your own style but to start you can practice being the type of leader people know what to expect from.

For example:

• Start meetings with a temperature check - 5 mins to ask “double-checking, the goal of this meeting is XYZ outcome, correct?” or “would it be ok if we quickly talk through how we’ll use this time e.g. 20 minutes for X, 20 minutes for Y, and 10 minutes for Z?”

• Wrap up meetings and give time to shift gears - “since it’s 10:50 and I know folks may have other meetings, I want to make sure to everyone has 5 mins to rinse/get up & move around, is there anything else we need to move forward?”

tl;dr - we’ve all been there, people are overloading your email inbox & expressing their anxieties. sometimes the message/request is related to your job/position but isn’t clear. sometimes it’s not yours to work on, but they need to be heard. this set of templates can help graciously, firmly, and quickly respond in various scenarios.

When an internal teammate or client/customer/community member sends an email with a podcast, news article, etc. and implies that “we” or “you” should do something similar:

Hi X,

I appreciate you reaching out — while this isn’t a primary focus for [project name, my role/team, etc.], I pay attention to this area as it provides extra context for our work.

Feel free to send along any other resources, many thanks,

Ayanna

OR

Hi X,

Great read —  thanks for thinking of me, and while I don’t work on it directly, this is undoubtedly something I pay attention to.

Here are some places to consider bringing this up:

- Raise it at [ABC recurring meeting]
- Provide feedback to XYZ person/team
- Submit this as a [product feature request, community survey item, etc.]

When an external contact or an internal teammate you don’t work closely with sends you something that is related to your work but is not urgent:

Hi X,

Thanks for reaching out — confirming I received this and will loop back here in the next few days as things clear out on my current projects.

Feel free to share any other information in the meantime,

Peter

Confirming receipt and clarifying a request that is relevant to your role but unclear/complex:

Hi X,

Thanks for getting in touch — there’s a lot here, can you clarify in 2-3 key points what you’re looking for?

This will help me consider your request in more detail, many thanks,

Mariela

OR

Hi X,

Thanks for getting in touch — there’s a lot here, can you clarify the  questions below:

- Who is the audience for this?
- Is there a timeline for all or part of this request?
- My role/team does not typically handle items like A, B, and C; can you advise who will be responsible for them?

Thanks in advance for providing this information,

Mariela

Replying to a request that isn’t relevant to your role/team:

Hi X,

Thanks for getting in touch —  while this isn’t something my role or team handles directly, I understand your [concern/idea/challenge] about XYZ.

Here are some places I recommend bringing this up:

- Raise it at [ABC recurring meeting]
- Provide feedback to XYZ person/team
- Submit this as a [product feature request, community survey item etc.]

If I think of any other avenues to pursue this, I’ll reach back out as well,

Sam

When someone assigns work to one of your direct reports that’s not relevant to their role or the team:

Note — your team should always feel comfortable coming to you to say “I received a request and am not sure if it’s something I should do, can you take a quick look.” this sounds easy, but consider what happens if someone with power (like another manager or an exec) asks them to do something, whether it’s relevant or not. you’ll want to a) practice how to handle this scenario and b) transparently & openly talk about why you are handling it that way so they can learn to handle it, too.

Hi X,

Following up here re: your request for ABC on my team to do XYZ

XYZ is outside of our normal scope, and we don’t have the expertise / resources to accomplish it.

Here are a few places you may want to redirect this to if you haven’t already:

- X
- Y
- Z

Many thanks,

Katya