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The CC: Email Paradox - A Survival Guide
“You don’t have to copy me on every email.” This is one of the phrases I hear in employee performance discussions with regularity. It is usually followed by, in the time span of usually no more than a week, a glorious chewing out which starts with “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Throughout the history of the world, even before we invented the phrase “keeping you in the loop,” we have struggled with who to tell what and what qualifies as a “needs to know” or a “nice to know.” In this age of information, where a mere 75 Facebook friends means you are a social outcast, we are getting used to involving the masses in everything we do. We tweet, we follow, we post, we update our status, and this all started with the stupid yet strategically necessary CC: (A.K.A. the “Carbon Copy”). Let’s ignore the fact (which will make many of you feel really old) that 40% of the population does not even know why we call it a “Carbon Copy.”
If you were to research/hunt for/investigate what carbon copy paper is, you might find it…. But it would be of little use. For those of you wondering what I am talking about, there was a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away (the 1970s) when we would take two sheets of paper, treat them like slices of bread, then slide a third sheet of paper in-between, one side covered with black carbon dust. We then pressed a key and typed a letter on a page. The force of the key hitting the first page would “stamp” a copy of that letter onto the second page creating a duplicate. If you didn’t hit the key hard enough, there would not be enough force to get a good dark stamp resulting in a somewhat tie-dyed effect on the copy and the beginning of carpal tunnel syndrome. Then we invented electric typewriters and carbonless copy paper….but I digress. In short, making copies of letters goes as far back as writing itself.
But in today’s electronic age where receiving and responding to 50 emails an hour means you’re a slacker and your boss measures your level of work by the number of emails he sees you writing, the CC: function of your email is both a pain in the neck and a strategic weapon of choice.
I know for a fact every one of you reading this has had to, at one time or another, write an email to someone who will give you the same level of respect and focus as say…. Paris Hilton. So to ensure this person pays attention to your needs, you copy the email to his/her boss, your boss, the CFO, the CEO, and their spouse; because you know when you do that, your email target, fearing for their job and not wanting to look like a potential applicant for the next round of layoffs, will respond with the speed and accuracy of a Citibank overdraft fee. This kind of strategic “name dropping” is highly effective in getting what you want, so long as you know you will be paid back in kind and usually at first opportunity. It’s bad enough we use emails as a, now amazingly primitive, form of text messaging but the fact that we bring people into the email conversation as spectators will often lead to very little good.
I completely understand the strategic leveraging of power to get something done. Really politically savvy employees can use this to great effect and you can make yourself look involved, engaged, and results driven. But most of you play with this power like a six year old plays with a spoon and an open jar of JIF Peanut Butter… you can’t stop at one scoop.
When speaking recently with a CEO of a relatively well known technology group, I could not help but notice him reflex grabbing his blackberry every 30 seconds, glance down, wince, and do a quick two key delete. “I can’t stand it,” he said, “90% of my emails are FYI and most of that is crap.” I was horribly amused when he later recounted a minor design change in one of their latest products that required him to rake his staff over the coals for not letting him know about it.
For us, knowing when to copy our boss on an email is akin to understanding the popularity of Carrot Top. We think we understand it but then we are unable to describe it when it matters. For me, the secrets to this mystery are as follows
· Ask often, “Do you want to be copied on things like this (whatever “this” is at the time)?” so you know what is your boss’s information level for specific subjects.
· Ask yourself, “Will others ask about the content of my email with the boss?” (A.K.A blindsiding your boss with questions he cannot answer). If the answer is yes AND the people asking this question are more senior than your boss, then yes, copy him before he fires you.
· Can you talk to your boss and just tell him directly? If the answer is yes, then get off of your butt and go talk to him. Verbal communication is always a better career choice than emails or text.
I understand emails show we are working and emails that copy people of importance demonstrate the many things you are working on. Yes, the old adage “out of sight, out of mind” is very true at work and it even breeds the dreaded comment that you never want to hear “just what do you do all day?” Furthermore, if your boss is a control freak or jerk, it’s nice to have a written record of your communication just in case everything goes south.
The key is to know the players involved and sort them according to the “needs to know” and “wants to know.” CC: the “needs to know” crowd, then take the email you sent and paste it into a new direct email for the “wants to know.” This is my secret to looking good and not creating corporate spam. If I have an email I know someone wants to know about, I send them an email telling them I have copied the text of the conversation and included it for their reference. This way I tell them I want to make sure they are in the loop but I don’t involve them in the conversation. That way, should I ever need to CC: them, the impact is greater. Remember:
· Two thirds of a manager’s email is junk and on a busy day it never helps to be part of the junk brigade.
· Face time is better than a phone call. A phone call is better than email.
· BCC: is radioactive evil and should only be done by a professional
If you like this article, feel free to send it on to a friend; but please don’t CC: me on it.
Copyright © 2010 Mike Baumgartner | HR | Consulting | Coach | Human Resources | Search - CEO, Worklife Survival Center LLC
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