The Five Emails You Can Send On A Regular Basis To Secure Your Future Promotion

The Five Emails You Can Send On A Regular Basis To Secure Your Future Promotion Good communication is undoubtedly the skill that all employers value the most. Many great managers say the best skill set they have is to listen, especially to those who employ the roles most lucrative to the company. The symbiotic relationship between individual contributor and manager is there, but it’s up to you to ensure you are communicating so that your manager can play their part. From the start of your employment journey, communication has always been at the forefront of why you are successful. From answering the hiring managers phone interview questions in a clear and concise way, to the email you send after your interview, and the communication you have regularly after you’re hired. Without good communication, managers can’t place their focus on performing their duties. For example, if you have a roadblock and the manager could help unblock you, but they simply don’t know about it; then efficiency is lost. Because of this, most managers reward communicative individual contributors. Email is a great tool because it allows us to spend time thinking about what we’d like to communicate before the other party has a chance to read it. In the moment, or in front of your peers, you may feel more pressure to respond quickly. And with that pressure your communication skills may naturally become stressed as well. I’m going to show you five email techniques you can do to go above and beyond with regards to good communication. These communication techniques take very little time, are impactful to your manager, show you have leadership or promotion potential, show you are proactive about your role, and best of all, you can do this passively. Meaning you won’t place yourself into potentially stressful situations, like presenting in front of a group. #1: The priority check in In this email your goal is to ensure no new information has entered the managers knowledge bank. And that you are spending your time the best way you can. Here’s what your email should look like: Hi Jeff, Here’s my priorities. Let me know if I should reorder some of them, remove them or add any other priorities in. Redesign our print flyersFinish our sales pitch deckImprove our homepage experience Thanks Jeff. You’ll need to place your own priorities in this list. Keep them high level and something you and the team have already discussed. Make them the top three most important objectives or tasks from your perspective. This one you can send bi-weekly if your work doesn’t change frequently. #2: The random thank you email In these emails your goal is to pick a team member each week and show your appreciation for them. These random acts of kindness don’t go unnoticed. When a manager asks your peers how they like working with you, these emails are sure to be brought up. Here’s what you’ll say. Hi Sarah, I just wanted to send you a short note about how much I appreciate working with you. You are so talented. Thank you for all of your hard work. Thanks Sarah If you can use a more specific and recent moment that stood out to you, the better. Like when Sarah worked on Saturday to meet a deadline. #3: The weekly report This will be your most valuable weekly email. Send this email every Friday and recap the weeks work. When crafting this email. Think about the questions your manager would have for you if you two were to talk. For example they would ask, how’s the progress on our new homepage? Answer these questions for them so you can save them time. Here’s what you’ll say: Hi Jeff, Here’s my weekly report. New homepage: Finished our design briefMet with Nancy in sales to prepare her on timingSent our technical needs to the web developersWe’re on track with regards to timing Sales pitch: Finished 2 sales pitches this week for Nancy and Kevin Thanks Jeff Let me know if you have any thoughts. Have a good weekend! Keep it brief, impactful, informative and insightful. #4: The request for feedback It’s imperative that you are always willing to hear feedback on how you can do better. It shows you are leadership material. I wouldn’t send this email more than once per month but be sure you are sending it. Hi Jeff, Would love to know if there’s anything you feel I could be doing better. Or if there’s anything you appreciate that I am doing, and that you’d like to see more of. Thanks Jeff This information gives you insight into how to beat perform for the manager. Be prepared to take criticism you might receive, though. #5: Asking if your manager wants any other type of regular communication After a while, your manager might start appreciating but ignoring your weekly reports. That’s ok! That’s good! That means they’ve built trust with you. But ask them what other communication they’d appreciate so you are always moving forward. Here’s how to do it: Hi Jeff, I hope you’ve been appreciating my weekly reports. What are some things you’d like to see in them? Anything I can cover which may be most beneficial to you? Thanks Jeff And there you have it. Five simple communication techniques you can send by email each week which will do wonders for your development within the company. The good thing about these emails is that your manager has the option to read them. You may be wondering, what if they are annoyed by all the emails I’m sending them? Remember that these emails are insights, not strictly discussion. They’re digestible action items your manager can choose to see or not. They have the option to open the email if they’re curious or maybe lacking insight into your work. And they have the option to ignore it if they feel they already know enough. It’s a win-win for both parties! Patrick Algrim is an experienced executive in the technology sector. He’s helped to build some of the worlds greatest teams at some of the fastest growing Companies in Silicon Valley. You can find out more about him and see more content like this at Algrim.co.