Email is killing your leadership -- and what to do about it

Leaders spend about 30% of their time managing emails and other platforms like Slack and Teams, according to Adobe. Compare that to Hogan Assessments research, which shows leaders only spend around 10% of their time coaching and developing their teams.

How can you optimize your time on email, freeing you to focus on what truly matters?

Why Email Drains You

First, let’s understand the impact of email on your brain and behavior.

1. Stress increases: Facing a flood of unread messages triggers the brain to release cortisol. This stress hormone encourages impulsive decisions, undermines thoughtful problem-solving, and reduces the ability to interpret emotional cues. Misunderstandings multiply. The trap: quick reactions replace careful thinking.
2. The dopamine trap: Every cleared or answered email releases dopamine, giving a sense of accomplishment. The trap: this drive to "check off" emails may lead to hasty deletions or snap decisions without full consideration.
3. Visibility obsession: Just like people compete for airtime in meetings, they also seek presence in emails. In some work cultures, being the first to reply signals engagement—even if it's unproductive. The trap: over-engagement often adds to inbox clutter, multiplying traffic rather than resolving issues.

What You Can Do

Here are strategies to make email more productive and efficient, giving you back valuable time.

• Batch processing: Set aside specific times during the day when your energy is high and distractions are low. Focus on email for that set period—no more, no less.
• Prioritize with segmentation: Focus on the most critical emails. The Eisenhower matrix is a helpful tool here. Sort your emails into urgent/important, urgent/not important, not urgent/important, and not urgent/not important. Deal with each accordingly.

• Write better emails: The best emails are concise, clear, and emotionally neutral. Here are some tips from Deirdre McCloskey’s "Economical Writing" that can improve email communication:

Tone matters: Consider the stress state of your reader. Make your perspective clear and straightforward without passing judgment. If unsure, save your draft, take a breath, and revisit it later. Your email shouldn't add to your recipient’s cortisol.

Be obvious, not clever: Use simple subject lines that help the reader understand the email’s priority. In multicultural teams, subtlety and hidden meanings can get lost. If there's a major setback, call it that—not a "sub-optimal outcome."

Cut the fluff: After drafting your email, reread it and remove a third. Split long messages into two. Keep your email under 150 words—people spend less than 15 seconds reading each message.

Limit recipients: Be sparing with your distribution list. Before copying someone, ask if they truly need to know. Avoid “reply all” unless necessary.

Set clear expectations: Replace “bumping this” or vague requests with something concrete. For example, say, “I’ll assume you agree unless I hear back by [deadline].”

Set the Norm

Remember, your email habits set the tone for your team. Instead of assuming what works, create a team-wide best practice. Have a candid conversation about what’s effective and what’s not, and build email norms that work for everyone. And most importantly, use the conversation as a moment to re-emphasize coaching and development!