This post explores how bracketed subject lines can save time, reduce confusion, and make internal communication more efficient.

Between my professional experience as a hiring manager and academic experience teaching business writing at the university-level, I’ve...

In the second year of my MBA program, I applied for a coveted position with the U.S. federal government. After months of rigorous preparation and sacrifices, including missing out on time with family and friends, I faced a full-day interview in Washington, DC. Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t offered the job. The rejection made me wonder: Did I not work hard enough? Such doubts point to the hard work fallacy—a deeply held belief that effort = success. Of course, a variety of

Imagine two professionals on the same team. Both are smart. Both care about doing good work. The first is highly competent. Their work is accurate, efficient, and technically strong. They meet expectations consistently, but spend little time building relationships beyond what is required to get tasks done. The second is also competent. Not exceptional at everything, but solid and reliable. In addition to doing the work, this individual invests time in relationships. They prio

For most of my life my default response when a new opportunity has been presented to me has been yes . That approach has served me well. Saying yes has allowed me to learn about myself, develop new skills, and meet interesting people. But more recently I’ve found benefit in exercising caution before committing to new opportunities. Before taking on a new commitment, consider whether you are really excited about it, and if you decide you aren't, then say no . However, being

My first 40 hour a week job was painting college dormitories the summer I turned 15. A combination of the manual labor and repetitiveness of the tasks reinforced my desire to go to college, but there were a few things about that job that I really enjoyed. In addition to interacting with a wide variety of interesting people and learning a useful trade, I learned a lesson about the rhythm of work. Being a painter involves more than painting. We could only paint after we moved t

Chances are you have sent an email to a coworker, customer, or potential employer and then wondered why you didn’t get a response. You are not alone. With professionals receiving, on average, over 100 emails each day, many messages go unread and unanswered. So, what should you do if you don’t get a response to your email? Consider whether email is the best channel. Too often we choose email because it’s the communication channel that works best for us, but consider what might

When I was in fifth grade, I often came home after school and watched DuckTales, an animated television show produced by Disney. In one episode, a flashback shows Scrooge McDuck preparing to leave Scotland for America. Before he departs, his father tells him, “Remember to work smarter, not harder.” Later in America, McDuck ends up in a riverboat race where his job is to shovel coal into the furnace to keep the paddle wheel in motion. Tired of the backbreaking work, he remembe

Early in my career I sometimes felt like I was reacting to events throughout the workday. The direction of my day could easily be altered by an interruption from a colleague stopping by my office or an email that someone else thought was urgent. As a result, I found myself working longer hours to accomplish what needed to get done. Then I found and began using Stephen Covey’s time management matrix from his best selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As depict

Managing email is a source of frustration for most business leaders. According to a McKinsey report, the average professional spends 28%...

Learning to write well and speak well requires learning a process - sometimes a process very different than the process we currently employ. When helping my students make the transition from academic to business writing we discuss a variety of writing processes. One of the models suggests procrastination is the first step. I’ve never had a student argue this point, and more often than not, students comment that they have trouble getting started on writing tasks. Neuroscientis