Email Messages in Turbulent Times - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Few experienced leaders have not sent at least one email that they later regretted sending. Your use of email is your digital presence. Like executive presence, it can propel your leadership or derail you. This is especially true now when we are more reliant on email because of social distancing. In most organizations, it is the official channel of communication. This isn’t very easy with a younger workforce who may prefer receiving communication via text or social media.

During the last four months, nurse leaders have shared with situations where they have mismanaged email communication. Unlike face to face or phone communication, what is conveyed in email can be easily misinterpreted and then escalates quickly into major dramas. My experience with nurse leaders is that they often err on the side of putting too much content into messages. Key points that they intend to make are not clearly conveyed. It is better to adopt a less is more mindset when writing emails. The following are some dos and don’ts with email messages:

The Dos

Use a clear subject title – note if it is an action item.
Keep it concise with three key points – marketing research indicates the power of keeping messages to three ideas.
If it is an action item – bold the due date.
Don’t use abbreviations that you would use in a text.
Keep it upbeat and positive.

The Don’ts

Avoid using email if the topic is emotionally laden.
Don’t have misspellings and incorrect punctuation.
Don’t ramble.
Don’t send it without proofreading – install Grammarly on your computer to proofread your messages if necessary.
Watch the use of emojis – they can be misinterpreted.

If an initial email is misinterpreted, my advice is to pick up the phone. Clarification, when something is misunderstood, is much more challenging in email, and follow-up emails can make things worse. When you send emails, respond to comments and questions. When nurse leaders don’t respond to their email or phone messages, it is frustrating for staff and colleagues. Sometimes, leaders don’t respond to requests because they don’t want to answer negatively, but in many respects, no answer is far worse than a negative reply. Your response time to email or phone message is a non-verbal cue about your leadership behavior. Research shows that the longer you respond, the more negatively you are viewed as a leader. How you deal with requests or messages says something fundamental about how reliable you are. And that translates into trust. Improving your email communication could enhance your leadership reputation in ways that you might not anticipate, so it is worth your time to incorporate these best practices.

Don’t let nurse leaders in your organization go without development in 2020. Virtual programs include Nurse Leader Coaching, Coaching Staff to Promote Resilience and Leading Teams in Turbulent Times, or schedule your customized Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership Virtual Workshop taught by experts for either new or experienced leaders. Nuts and Bolts Flyer

Read Rose Sherman’s book available now – The Nurse Leader Coach: Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave