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Efficiently Manage Your Email#

1. Set Up Your Email

Effective management of emails relies on professionals developing good habits for handling emails. Cultivating habits is not an overnight task. While developing habits, we can also improve the efficiency of email management in the short term by effectively setting up our email accounts.

The following simple settings can quickly simplify your inbox.

Setting One: Abandon complex categorization folders and only create a "Processed Emails" folder to store all emails that need to be retained.

Labeling things is a human instinct, and the same goes for emails. Therefore, it is common to see people setting up complex folders in their email accounts to save different categories of emails: sales data, budget reports, client information, important parameters, meeting notes, media materials, to-do tasks, and so on. This practice of categorizing every email may seem orderly, but it actually leads to inefficient email management.

Instead, create a single "Processed Emails" folder and dump all emails that need to be retained into it without worrying about categorization. When you need to look something up later, simply use the email search function to easily find the email.

Setting Two: Create commonly used "Email Rules" to make your email account your personal secretary.

"Email Rules" is a feature provided by most email services. It directs the inbox to perform a series of conditional judgments based on each newly received email, and then take preset actions based on the results of those judgments. Taking the most common Outlook as an example, the conditional judgments include:

• Who is the sender/recipient;
• What keywords are included in the email subject or body;
• Does the email contain tags like "Important," "Action," or "Confidential";
• Does the email include a meeting invitation;
• Is the recipient a primary recipient or a CC recipient.

The preset actions include:

• Move the email to a specific folder;
• Mark the email as "Follow Up," "Important," and so on;
• Delete, forward, or print;
• Mark as read;
• Desktop notifications;
• Reply using specific information or templates, etc.

These conditional judgments and preset actions can be combined in any way to achieve the desired effect.

Setting Three: Create Email Templates

Templates are an excellent way to improve office efficiency and avoid repetitive work. The same goes for managing emails. Summarizing a few commonly encountered situations into templates will undoubtedly save you a significant amount of time. If you have been working for a while, you can now look through your sent emails from the past few weeks to find similar structures that can be reused, and build your email material library.

Additionally, there is a feature in email that is often overlooked, which can become a powerful tool for managing these templates if you change your mindset slightly. This feature is the signature block.

A signature block, as the name suggests, is used to quickly embed your signature information at the end of an email. This information typically includes your name, position, phone number, fax, email address, etc. Usually, people only save one or two different versions of their signature blocks. For example, I commonly use two signature blocks: one for internal company use that is shorter and only includes basic information like name and department, and another for external use that contains more contact information.

However, this usage does not maximize the functionality of the signature block. If you have set up your signature block, you will find that although it is specifically designed for storing signatures, there are actually no word count or format restrictions. The signature settings page you see is essentially a text editor.

Therefore, we can utilize the signature block feature to store various email templates. Since the signature block is part of the email functionality, using it can save you time spent opening other programs and also save you from having to remember the locations of templates.

2. Email Usage Habits

The above settings can improve your processing efficiency in the short term, but their capabilities are quite limited; they only provide some initial processing of emails. What truly plays a decisive role in the long term is your habits in using email. Developing good usage habits can keep you above the emails, making them work for you rather than exhausting you all day.

The following are the best habits that can significantly improve your processing efficiency.

Habit One: Process each email on the same day, keeping your inbox empty.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and the hundreds or thousands of unread emails in your inbox didn't accumulate overnight either. Like many things in life, if you always think, "I'll deal with it when I have time," those unread emails will permanently settle in your inbox and become impossible to shake off.

Therefore, the state you should strive for is to end your workday with an empty inbox, having processed all emails from that day. This is not an easy habit to develop, but it will bring you great rewards. The following habits revolve around how to achieve a "daily clear" inbox.

Of course, this doesn't mean you should keep your eyes glued to your inbox, jumping on new emails as they arrive. If that's the case, wouldn't it be counterproductive to treat email processing as your primary job? Some advocate checking your email only once or twice a day, concentrating on processing emails, and dedicating the rest of your time to work. This is a good idea, as it helps professionals maintain focus on important tasks and avoid distractions. However, this approach can also have negative effects, such as causing you to miss the best time to take action.

A compromise is to combine "immediate replies" and "scheduled replies." For emails from important contacts or those that may contain critical information, take immediate necessary actions. For the rest of the emails, schedule fixed times to process them. Commonly used Outlook platforms have corresponding features to help us achieve this arrangement.

First, you need to turn off desktop notifications for incoming emails in the options. This way, you won't be disturbed every time a new email arrives, allowing you to concentrate on urgent work.

Then, by setting up the email rules mentioned above, enable desktop notifications for emails from important contacts or those containing words like "urgent" or "immediate," so you can receive timely prompts for important emails and take action.

Finally, you should set a specific time for processing other emails. The frequency and timing can be determined based on your work content. However, it is advisable not to make processing emails the first thing you do in the morning. This is because, typically, in the morning, especially when work has just started, your mind is at its sharpest, making it suitable for tackling the most challenging and important tasks. Emails can easily divert your attention, preventing you from fully engaging. Therefore, avoid making checking emails your first task in the morning.

Habit Two: Read each email only once.

Many people handle emails like this: after reading an email, they think about what actions need to be taken, and after coming up with a rough answer, they feel the issue is resolved, marking the email as done in their minds, and then move on to the next email, repeating the process. Those who do this generally have the mindset that they plan to read through all new emails before taking action. Opening an email feels a bit like unwrapping a gift; the process of turning an email from unread to read brings a small sense of satisfaction. However, taking immediate action means the gap between unwrapping the next gift will be longer, so they simply read through all emails first to satisfy that urge.

But the reality is that before they finish reading all the emails, other tasks pop up, and their attention shifts to those. When they return to continue processing emails, they find that although they have a general impression of the previously read emails, they are not certain about the specific content. Therefore, they have to spend time re-reading them carefully for further consideration. This back-and-forth wastes time unknowingly.

To solve this problem, you need to adopt a step-by-step attitude: strictly require yourself to read each email only once, take the corresponding action immediately after reading, and remove the email from your inbox. Only by doing this can you reclaim wasted time and potentially process each email on the same day. The following habits can help you adhere to this "read once" requirement.

Habit Three: Execute 4D Processing for Each Email

4D refers to the four actions represented by four English words: Do, Delegate, Defer, Delete. These four actions cover all possible actions that can be taken on any email. This effective method was first proposed by American publisher Michael Hyatt.

Do#

If, after reading, you find that the email contains tasks that need to be completed by you and can be done in a short amount of time, you should take immediate action. For example, if the email inquires about a simple business question and you happen to have the information ready, or if the email asks you to schedule an interview time for a graduate next week. Replying with an answer or creating a new meeting in the calendar can be done in a few minutes. In this case, you have no reason to procrastinate.

In this regard, David Allen, the founder of the GTD methodology, proposed a famous "2-Minute Rule," which states that any task that can be completed in 2 minutes should be done immediately. This is because any judgment, summarization, or planning done for a 2-minute task will take longer than actually completing it, so there is no more effective way than to do it right away. David even proudly declared that he once carried a stopwatch to accurately record the time spent on those small tasks.

We obviously don't need to go to such extremes, immediately jumping on tasks that take 1 minute and 59 seconds, while leaving those that take 2 minutes and 1 second aside. However, David's reasoning is sound and worth emulating when processing emails.

Delegate#

If you find that the work mentioned in the email can be delegated to someone more suitable or someone who can complete it at a lower cost, you should try to delegate the task. For example, in audits, it is common to encounter tasks that involve checking numbers. A certified public accountant cannot do this better than an intern, but the time cost of the accountant is often several times that of the intern. Such tasks should be reasonably delegated to junior employees to free up senior employees' time for tasks that only they can complete.

In this case, you should also take immediate action by adding task descriptions, requirements, and any information needed by the person executing the task in the original email, and then forward it to the appropriate person. While forwarding, remember to notify the original sender through CC or a separate email that the task has been delegated to someone else.

After processing the "Do" and "Delegate" types of emails, you can store the original emails that need to be filed in the "Processed Emails" folder, while the rest can be deleted.

Defer

When the work mentioned in the email must be done by you but cannot be completed in a short time, temporarily deferring it by placing it in a separate folder called "Deferred" is a good way to keep your inbox empty.

Some may question whether deferring is not the same as leaving it in the inbox. This concern is valid. If you treat the "Deferred" folder as a substitute for the inbox, indiscriminately stuffing any task into it, then this folder is no different from an inbox piled high with emails. However, if you take the following steps before placing such emails into the "Deferred" folder, the effects will be significantly different:

First, you need to strictly control the number of emails placed in this folder. This requires you to faithfully judge that the emails do not belong to the categories of "Do" or "Delegate." This is crucial to avoid the "Deferred" folder becoming a shadow inbox.

Second, you should roughly estimate the time required to complete the work. If the task exceeds the time you can allocate, consider informing the sender to seek a solution.

Then, before transferring the email, record this task in your to-do list. The purpose of this is to avoid the email sinking into the "Deferred" category and disappearing without a trace, and also to assess the importance and urgency of the work through this record, distinguishing priorities to arrange subsequent processing order.

Once these steps are completed, the email can be smoothly moved to the separate "Deferred" folder.

Regarding distinguishing the importance of emails, we have another method. We can create a separate "CC" folder and then create email rules that automatically place all emails received as CC into this folder. As we will mention later, it is customary that contacts in the CC field are not the primary communication targets of the email. Therefore, if your name appears in the CC field, you can be fairly certain that the email is not highly important to you. Thus, using email rules to automatically store such emails separately allows you to deal with them after completing more important tasks. This can help you better manage your daily workflow.

Delete

The previously mentioned deletion of the "Do" and "Delegate" types of emails goes without saying. There is also a situation where the email is merely informational and does not require further action from you. In this case, after transferring the emails that you are sure you will need into the "Processed Emails" folder, you should decisively delete the remaining emails.

It is important to emphasize "decisive" deletion because some people have an inexplicable psychological barrier to deleting emails. This is not a joke; in behavioral science, the behavior of hoarding items and being unable to discard anything is a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (commonly referred to as "OCD"). This behavior stems from the instinct of humans and other animals to collect and store food in response to harsh environments and disasters. However, in extreme cases, this instinct can evolve into a psychological disorder. In English, there is a specific term to describe this behavior called "hoarding," which can be translated as "hoarding disorder." In everyday life, this manifests as the belief that anything might be needed in the future, making it difficult to discard. Ultimately, it fills homes to the brim, leaving no space to walk. In the sitcom "2 Broke Girls," the protagonist once helped clean a room belonging to a hoarder.

Of course, most people do not reach this extreme, but we can see traces of such behavior in ourselves or those around us. In the workplace, we may also become "hoarders" of emails. To overcome this tendency, it is essential to recognize the following facts:

• Any emails currently needed have been saved in the "Processed Emails" folder;
• Any emails that are not needed now but you feel may be useful in the future will ultimately not be used;
• If you later find that an email you needed has been deleted, one of your colleagues will always have saved it well;
• If no one has saved the email, then it is not important at all.

Therefore, unless you can identify why you might need the email now, please "decisively" toss it into the trash.

This article is excerpted from "You Are a Unique Business," by Li Dongxu.

How to Write a Proper Email#

Denny the Cow

You must have sent many emails that later went unanswered, right? Have you ever felt that XXX seemed generous, but when you emailed them, they didn't reply? In 95% of cases, it is not that the other party is being difficult; people deal with hundreds of emails every day, and one more is not a big deal. The real reason is that your approach was wrong. So this blog will discuss how to send a Cold Email, focusing on three core principles, from simple to complex.

Principle One: Shorter Emails Are More Likely to Get Replies
This is the simplest and most understandable principle; everyone should have experienced it, but often forgets when sending emails. My own experience is that emails from strangers that are two or three sentences long get immediate replies, while those longer than five sentences are often put aside, and most are never returned to. The longer the email, the greater the mental pressure it places on the recipient. Modern people are already under a lot of stress, and they simply cannot handle more, so they tend to disregard your email. You can reflect on your own situation to quickly realize this. Therefore, emails should be kept to five sentences or fewer.

Principle Two: Don’t Talk About Yourself, Focus on How It Relates to Them
Who is the person the recipient cares about most in the world? That's right, themselves. Too many people spend 80% of their Cold Email writing about themselves—"Who I am, what I do, my journey, every detail of what I do"… Wait a minute, what are you writing this email to them for? They are efficiently processing a large number of emails closely related to themselves; are you trying to insert a story into their busy schedule?

So, your first sentence should directly tell them the purpose of the email. Then, if you want to increase their desire to reply, every subsequent sentence should relate to their interests and benefits. You could spend 500 words describing how great you are, but in terms of attractiveness, that pales in comparison to spending 50 words clearly explaining how your matter relates to them.

Principle Three: Make It Easy for Them to Reply and Help You
Only 1% of people do this.

For example, after attending a startup seminar, you chatted with a well-connected speaker for 10 minutes. They think your project is good and agree to introduce your team to angel investor A, investment firm B, and supplier C, asking you to send detailed information to their email. Then you happily go back and send your project overview to their email, which generally says:
"I’m glad to have talked with you Blahblahblah. Our project is Blahblahblah, etc. Attached is the detailed project information. Thank you for your help! Let's Blahblahblah."
Later, there’s no further communication. Then you start to think, "XXX seems generous, but actually isn’t." If you think this way, please consider it from the perspective of that poor speaker—during the day, while clearing emails, they see your email and need to: (1) first think about whom they promised to introduce you to and what the connections are; (2) find the email addresses of those three contacts; (3) write three separate emails to introduce your project and its relation to them. This takes at least half an hour of their time; do you really think they are your benefactor? Just saying "I know you are busy" while sending the email is merely a passive request, akin to asking for money.

Many people are willing to help others, but the premise is that you must make it easier for them to help you. So what can you do? After your conversation, you should send four emails:
The first: "I’m glad to have talked with you Blahblahblah. Our project is X, and you mentioned that it might interest angel investor A, investment firm B, and supplier C. I will send three separate emails to you, each addressed to A, B, and C. These emails will be in a format that can be directly forwarded. Thank you for your help!"
The second, third, and fourth emails should be addressed to A, B, and C, respectively, succinctly explaining your project and its relation to them, ensuring the format is complete so your contact can forward them directly.

Long, comprehensive emails are easy to write and don’t pursue a high reply rate—many people just want to vent (I personally think if you write like that, don’t send it; just vent to yourself). Writing short emails requires more effort. Writing short emails that consider the other person's perspective requires constant effort to maintain that awareness.

If these three principles can be widely adopted, they will save a tremendous amount of wasted time and energy in human society.

The writing of purely work-related emails can be roughly divided into two parts: thought process and rhetoric.

1. Thought Process
   There are some general principles that can guide writing.

2. "War Correspondent" Principle
   Imagine yourself as a war correspondent reporting on the current situation amidst flying bullets, where every word could attract a bullet to your forehead. In such a situation, it is most appropriate to omit unnecessary words, clichés, and empty phrases, and get straight to the point. For example, as a system deployment personnel reporting a major issue at a client's site to a senior technical leader, you could write:
   "The A system B module is currently non-operational. Deployment logs are in Attachment 1, error messages are in Attachment 2, and client environment details are in Attachment 3. The client requests resolution within 24 hours; otherwise, the launch will be delayed."

This one sentence condenses all the key information, and related but lengthy technical details can be conveyed through attachments, ensuring that the recipient immediately understands the cause, process, and potential outcomes of the issue. In this case, if you are overly concerned and start with clichés like "Dear Leader," it may lead to the recipient missing important information. Ensure that the recipient can see the purpose of the email at first glance.

2. "Pyramid" Principle
   Imagine the typical structure of a pyramid. I believe all emails (and even other practical articles) should follow this principle: have a clear center, layer the narrative, and unfold it step by step.

There is a book called "The Pyramid Principle" that can be studied in depth, but here I will briefly summarize my understanding of the specific summarization method.

1. First, use the war correspondent principle to filter the content you want to express. Identify a few key points, then narrow it down until you find a single center, temporarily listing this "point" as the ultimate purpose of all your statements.

Using the previous example of a major issue at the client's site, I need to convey many things to help the recipient make a judgment, such as logs, error messages, environment details, etc. However, upon careful analysis, these elements only serve to resolve the "system deployment failure" issue. Further analysis reveals that resolving the "system deployment failure" can prevent "system launch delays," thereby avoiding project failure and loss of client trust. Ultimately, all these threads converge on the single point of "maintaining client trust."

2. Analyze the recipient's understanding of this central point. If it is self-evident, then downgrade to the next central point. If it may not be well understood, then maintain this central point and elaborate around it.

The recipient is a senior technical leader, so they naturally have enough understanding of "maintaining client trust." Therefore, downgrade to "project failure," which also has sufficient consensus, and then downgrade to "project launch delay." At this point, the senior leader may not have a clearer understanding than the on-site personnel, as they are far removed from the situation and can only see limited realities. Your task is to report this reality to them in a sufficiently clear and affirmative manner, providing them with enough resources to make judgments and coordinate resources. Thus, "project launch delay" is selected as the center.

3. Describe the layer of information most directly related to the central point.

The most directly related issue to project launch delay is "deployment failure," but deployment failure is merely a result, not a process. Therefore, it is necessary to continue describing why deployment failed. Typically, there are three aspects of information when doing something: "What resources I have, how I did it, and what results occurred." These three aspects are the directly related information regarding deployment failure.

4. Continue to describe the "direct information" of the "direct information." Here, you will enter a cycle, adding layers of information that you believe need to be explained to enrich the supporting system for the central information. In emails, you need to adopt different methods for adding information based on the actual situation, such as images, charts, attachment documents, etc.

Logs, operation records, and other information are valuable, but because they are lengthy and do not directly help the central point, they must appear in a way that does not interfere with reading. Attaching them is a good choice, ensuring that the recipient can easily access them when needed while avoiding them when not needed.

By consistently referencing these two principles and practicing writing and summarizing, you can ensure that your email output is well thought out.

2. Rhetoric
   Everyone has their own writing style, but in work-related emails, it is necessary to appropriately constrain your writing habits.

3. Punctuation
   This part is often overlooked. Many colleagues with years of work experience either omit punctuation or misuse it when writing emails. For example, ending every sentence with a question mark, randomly placing exclamation marks, or using dashes in a translated tone, etc. My personal bottom line for email punctuation is: "It can be non-standard, but it must be consistent."

For instance, sometimes due to input method issues, I cannot use standard Chinese periods, so I directly use English periods or even dashes, but I will use them consistently, such as treating all dashes as periods to avoid confusion about the meaning of the punctuation. Additionally, in casual conversations, I tend to end with three dots, but I try to avoid these personal habits in emails. Even if I cannot use punctuation correctly, I should at least avoid becoming a potential reading obstacle.

2. Font

• Default Font
  If the company has specifications, strictly follow them. If there are no specifications, keep the default font, as it is the safest choice when you do not know the recipient's vision, reading environment, or reading device.

• Bold
  Use it only for deliberately emphasized text. Generally, a bold phrase appearing once in a paragraph has the best emphasis effect, while three or four or more bold phrases reduce the effect—"emphasizing everything equals emphasizing nothing." Therefore, find the most critical point and then consider whether it is worth bolding.

• Italics
  Regardless, be cautious with "italics" and try to avoid using them, as the current Windows platform's italics are quite crude.

3. Color

• Safe Colors: Red, Green
  Aside from red (representing emphasis or danger) and green (representing approval and safety), avoid using other colors as much as possible.

• When using multiple colors, provide annotations.
  If you must use multiple colors, you must provide annotations in a prominent place; otherwise, after several transfers, readers may not understand the meaning of the colors and miss or misinterpret information.

4. Alignment

• Paragraph Alignment
  I have seen many colleagues add two spaces at the beginning of a new paragraph, and some programmers even add four spaces (since one English space is 1/4 the length of a Chinese character). However, in emails, paragraphs should avoid leading spaces, as this belongs to "new text formatting issues in the Web era," which I will not elaborate on here.

• End Alignment
  Do not use the Enter key to control line breaks, as what looks aesthetically pleasing on your client may turn into a visual disaster on someone else's device. Refer to this image (left is the original screen, right is the display effect on a smaller screen).

5. Line Breaks and Line Spacing

• Manual Empty Lines
  After completing a full paragraph, try to manually leave an empty line, as in different reading devices, without this empty line, it can lead to a dense wall of text, which creates visual pressure that directly affects the reader's comprehension. Leaving white space allows readers to have breathing room and understanding gaps while reading.

• Appropriate Spacing
  Line spacing can use the default spacing or within 1.5 times the spacing, depending on the length of the text. Higher spacing may cause the reader's eyes to jump too much, leading to visual fatigue.

6. Text Description Techniques
   In summary, I recommend the email writing technique of "choosing simple and accurate adjectives and adverbs, using meaningful short sentences, and avoiding the piling up of complex terminology."

• Choose Simple and Accurate Adjectives and Adverbs
  This mainly targets those who prefer a novelistic style of email writing, such as replacing "beautiful" with "gorgeous," etc. Work emails are not essays and need to ensure practicality.

• Use Meaningful Short Sentences
  Breaking long sentences into short ones can make it easier for readers to understand. For example:

The delay in the project launch is due to a failure in installing Program A, which resulted in the loss of redundant TMP files.

Can be broken down into:

The project launch is delayed because of an installation failure at the site, which was caused by the failure of Program A, specifically due to the loss of redundant TMP files.

• Avoid the Piling Up of Complex Terminology
  This may elicit different opinions from technical colleagues, as in most RD communications, terminology serves as a universal language.

However, most colleagues outside RD do not understand the phrases like "I plan to inherit your A method" or "give me an interface," so when emailing among colleagues, ensure that what you write is understandable to the other party. For example, the following replacement (the reader is a finance colleague):

You open the browser, enter 1234, and check the system console, then copy the systemp parameter from the box next to the name.

Can be replaced with:

You open IE or the 360 browser, enter 1234 in the address bar (the one that starts with http:\), then look for the menu on the left side of the opened page, where there is a function called "System Console" in the middle. Click on it, and then look at the pop-up window; copy the contents in the box next to the name "systemp" and send it to me.

At first glance, it may seem verbose, but this way of writing emails ensures effectiveness because the understanding of information varies among colleagues, and information asymmetry is the main barrier to smooth communication. In simple terms, "what you say I don't understand, what I say you don't understand, and both sides need to go back and forth several times to understand each other."

7. Title
   The email title is often overlooked, but it is crucial as it ensures accuracy when you and the recipient search for relevant information in the future.

An appropriate title is generally the most comprehensive summary, the initial lead, and the most striking description.

• The Most Comprehensive Summary
  "Regarding the Deployment Failure and Situation Explanation of the XX Project at the XX Client Site"

• The Initial Lead
  "Deployment Failure at the XX Client Site"

• The Most Striking Description
  "Deployment Failure at the XX Client Site May Lead to Delayed Launch"

These are all feasible examples, and you can weigh them based on the actual situation.

8. Others
   Other aspects of email writing include signature blocks, email importance, email format, and estimating the reader's environment.

• Signature Block
  The signature block is mainly used to provide the other party with your other contact information. If the company has a unified requirement, it must be strictly followed. If there is no unified requirement, a fixed format should be set, including personal name/English name, company registered name, department/project team, mobile phone, landline, MSN, and other necessary information.

• Importance
  Unless it is a pressing matter, never use the importance setting to avoid rewriting the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf": "The Wolf is Coming, Modern Email Edition."

• Email Format
  Usually set to HTML format; if there are special requirements, you can consider TXT plain text, but the latter will lack visual formatting and is generally not recommended.

• Estimating the Reader's Environment
  This part is somewhat speculative and can be seen as "user experience in email communication." For example, if the other party often uses a 12-inch laptop, try to set tables to be more compact. If they are on a business trip in a hotel, avoid sending large attachments in emails and use other methods to convey information.

What Phrases Can Save Your English Emails#

Qiqi

At the beginning of a sentence:

Referring to previous discussions

Pertain to ...(issue)

As communicated earlier...

Apologizing for a late reply

Sorry for the delayed response...

Long time no contact

Hope everything is well with you.

I hope this email finds you doing well.

In the middle of a sentence:

Requesting the other party to do something

Please arrange... accordingly so we can proceed with... / move forward

Please follow up with...

More polite requests

If possible, could you please...

I will have to bother you on...

Confirming something with the other party

Could you please clarify... / give a clarification on...

Kindly please confirm our proposed...(schedule / plan)

Inquiring about progress

Do you have any updates on...

Have you got any response from...

Notifying the other party about something

Please be informed that...

Please kindly note that...

Seeking the other party's opinion

Please advise.

Please let me know your thoughts on this.

Please give your comments if any.

Meeting invitations

You are all invited to attend the meeting on...

Please check your calendar and let me know your preference / if there is any conflict.

Ending:

...is attached here for your reference.

Thanks for your kind support.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Your prompt response on this will be highly appreciated.

1. Use of Connectors

Quickly abandon "BTW." When mentioning another matter in an email, you can use "in addition to / additionally / furthermore."

2. Use Passive Voice More Often

In emails or formal documents, passive voice sounds more professional. For example, instead of saying "I need xxx," you can say "xxx is required." Doesn't it sound more professional?

Another example is to eliminate the subject and change the sentence structure to "It is + verb," such as "It is proposed that / It is confirmed that..."

3. Pay Attention to Native Speaker Vocabulary

Be mindful of using synonyms that they commonly use. For example, "because of" can be replaced with "due to"; when asking someone to verify an issue, don't just use "check," but "clarify / verify / cross-verify" are all very useful; for expressing "before" in a matter, besides "before," you can also use "prior to"; for "after," you can use "upon" (of course, there are some differences in usage; for example, "Let's talk about this after you come back" can be changed to "Let's talk about this upon your return").

If you are unsure about the usage of similar synonyms, feel free to check the dictionary.

4. Two Complaint Sentence Structures

There were some small issues which we probably need your attention to look upon.

Due to the discrepancies in the xxx issue, we need your attention to resolve the problem.

7 Must-Know Document Knowledge#

Knowledge of work documents for newcomers:

1. When sending emails with PPTs to others, it is best to save each page's combination as fixed images or PDFs; otherwise, the formatting and fonts may change when sent to different terminals, failing to achieve the desired effect, and also avoiding easy misuse or modification of your documents by others.

2. All office documents should be named with dates, and updated versions should change the date and be saved as new files, so you can always find documents from different periods and clearly distinguish between new and old versions.

3. All office documents should not only be named but also include the full name and date in the editing interface. This is because your document may be printed at any time, allowing everyone to quickly understand what this piece of paper is and which version it is from that day.

4. In Excel sheets, write a separate column for serial numbers instead of using the built-in row numbers; this is also convenient for printing, allowing everyone to quickly find which row it is during meetings.

5. The logic in Excel is crucial; make good use of freeze panes to facilitate viewing for everyone.

6. Long documents must include page numbers so that they do not get mixed up when printed and bound.

7. Do not outline, deform, or fill brand logos with arbitrary colors in documents.

Although these seem like common sense, sticking to them will be very useful for newcomers in the workplace.

Small Details That Add Points in the Workplace#

Yu Jieru

In terms of etiquette:

1. When answering the phone, omit "Hello" and directly say "Hi."

2. When a colleague comes to your workstation to discuss something, please stand up to talk to them.

3. During meetings, if there is no designated person responsible for pouring water, your small effort will earn you points.

Keywords: Respect for others.

In terms of work:

1. When sending emails, modify the attachment name to match the content, commonly seen in scanned documents.

2. When handing over work, be sure to categorize and indicate time and progress.

3. When communicating situations, let others choose multiple-choice questions rather than open-ended ones.

Keywords: Convenience for others.

In other aspects:

1. Keep your desk and computer folders tidy.

2. Whether there are requirements or not, please insist on writing daily summaries.

3. Make good use of sticky notes; finish today's tasks today.

Keywords: Personal efficiency.

I believe the biggest detractor is complaining. Whether about people or things, it is all harm and no benefit.

Things You Should Not Do#

1. When dealing with problems, if you can solve something in 5 minutes, don’t spend 10 minutes communicating with others to let them complete it. In the end, either they take 15 minutes or even longer to complete it according to your requirements, or time is wasted and nothing progresses.

2. Always do things quietly without knowing how to choose the right time to showcase your results to your supervisor or colleagues. Being low-key is certainly commendable, but opportunities must be seized.

3. Love to complain. Frowning at every little difficulty and engaging in endless meaningless complaints when meeting or chatting is the most annoying. I dislike being around people who constantly bring negative energy.

4. Be passive. When a supervisor or colleague assigns a task, even if you are quietly executing it and know the progress, you wait until the supervisor asks, "How is this task progressing?" before reporting to them. Being overly passive. Proactively informing them of progress and risk points can also keep them in the loop and help avoid risks.

5. Go to colleagues, especially supervisors, with problems instead of alternative solutions. Not knowing anything will often leave a very bad impression.

6. In a team, always easily dismiss others' viewpoints but fail to propose a better solution yourself.

Writing High-Quality Meeting Minutes#

• Five Parts of High-Quality Meeting Minutes

1. Meeting Topic: What issues arose.

2. Information Sharing: The current status of the issue and resource situation.

3. Proposal Discussion: Proposed solutions to the problem and opinions.

4. Forming Resolutions: Making decisions on the proposals.

5. Execution Division: Confirming divisions of labor and responsible persons.

• Four Principles of High-Quality Meeting Minutes

1. Matching Principle. Meeting minutes are part of meeting management, and they should match the meeting's purpose and process.

2. Purpose Principle. Clarify why meeting minutes are being taken—whether for review, analyzing responsibilities, or confirming goals and planning divisions of labor.

3. Responsibility Principle. Based on the goals, determine who from which position should bear the responsibility for recording and be accountable for the quality of the meeting minutes.

4. Consistency Principle. Meeting participants should reach a consensus on the meeting's goals, processes, purposes of the minutes, and responsibilities of participants.

Meetings are one of the most important management tools for managers, and meeting minutes are the exam papers for the managers who host the meetings.

The recorders themselves are limited by their positions and do not need to bear too much responsibility and pressure.

Management values practicality and progress; managers always balance risks and costs based on specific situations. Misjudging the situation can lead to mistakes in either being too lenient or too strict.

How to Write a Weekly Work Summary as a New Employee#

Having just graduated and worked in a foreign company, there was no requirement or habit of writing weekly reports. Now, having switched to a private enterprise, the leader requires a weekly report. Initially, I found it very troublesome and felt uncomfortable as if I was being monitored, but once I realized the true significance of the weekly report, I became very proactive and serious about writing it.

You need to understand that a weekly report is not written for the leader to see, but for yourself. A weekly report is not just to satisfy the leader or to show off what you have done; it is a review and summary of your own work. It is a process of reflection and helps you recognize areas for improvement more systematically and vividly.

Currently, my weekly work mainly involves visiting and negotiating with various clients and channels, so I will thoroughly record the visit time, client name, visitors, visit content, insights, etc., and separately highlight significant matters. Good memory is not as good as a bad pen; as the number of visits increases, there will always be times when you cannot remember clearly, and there is a risk of missing out on brilliant ideas from a certain day. Therefore, I now do a review and summary every night. Reflecting on oneself three times a day not only helps overcome memory fading but also leads to many unexpected gains.

Whether in Word or Excel, I create a relatively unified template, which helps with future queries.

Regarding your concern about not knowing how to express some fragmented things, this precisely proves the necessity of writing weekly reports. A weekly report is not a mere record; we need to understand how to distill the essence. We can even say that without your own thinking or insights, you have wasted your efforts on this task.

I am not clear on what technical sales entails, but let’s say you sell a technical solution to a client who is hesitant. They raise a few points of concern, and you respond with ABC, but ultimately the deal does not succeed. Writing a weekly report does not require you to detail this entire process, but you should have your own reflections: Why was the client hesitant? Was it due to your sales approach? Or was it because the solution did not meet the client's needs? What might be the client's concerns and pain points? What was lacking that led to the deal's failure? Can you find a way to address it? Or does it require additional support from the company?

You should treat your work as an experiment, constantly testing various methods to achieve the best results. A weekly report is like an experiment record, with historical data and textual records to refer to, allowing you to continuously eliminate erroneous thinking and find the path to truth.

Proactively writing weekly reports to update your boss on your work progress and insights will also earn you their recognition of your professionalism. This is a good professional habit, and recognizing it early in your career is your good fortune. Keep it up!

Interacting with Clients and Leaders#

1. Mindset. Please first ignore past work, internships, or experiences heard or seen from other channels, and immerse yourself as a pure novice.

2. Professionalism. Even as a newcomer, you should have your own understanding or explored professional qualities and principles. Learn to get along well with colleagues of different personalities and styles; if some colleagues have many tasks, be concise; when they are free, seize the opportunity to ask questions. Asking questions is not about how brilliant your question is but about ensuring others understand your question and can clarify it. Always take notes; you may not grasp everything at once. This is not only a problem for newcomers but also a basic quality for all professionals.

3. Expertise. Learn to explore "who to ask." Especially for newcomers, there are many questions. You can categorize questions: Administrative process questions can be asked to administrative staff, receptionists, or those who seem idle; business skill questions should be directed to your direct supervisor/mentor or the most authoritative person on the business issue to obtain correct and valuable information; for other questions, maintain a group with colleagues who joined the company at the same time, which is more conducive to integration. The key here is to understand matters beyond your department and gain a deeper understanding of the company's overall picture.

4. "Clarify the situation." Generally, after about two months of onboarding, you can start doing some tasks. Regardless of the newcomer's abilities, remember to clarify the "requirements" to ensure understanding, and try to remember the original words to avoid making mistakes or misunderstandings. Especially in small companies, everyone has their tasks and cannot teach newcomers hand-in-hand; newcomers must learn to listen, observe, and take notes.

New employees typically go through several stages: the first month of the probation period—understanding the company's business processes, atmosphere, and departmental matters; the second and third months of the probation period—understanding the business and professional skills of their department; the end of the probation period or the beginning of confirmation—attempting to solve some simple tasks; within a year of confirmation—gradually increasing task levels from simple to complex.

New employees wishing to integrate quickly is a positive and healthy thing, but do not view older employees as fierce tigers; everyone is meant to coexist harmoniously. Of course, the survival path in the workplace should be gradually explored, and during the newcomer period, avoid conflicts of interest.

How to Overcome Shyness in the Workplace#

Not daring to look others in the eye stems from a lack of confidence in what you want to express, fearing exposure and being corrected.

Finding it hard to come up with light topics when meeting strangers is because you want to leave a good impression, but your level is not enough.

Some people are naturally sociable, and apart from the other person's high emotional intelligence, it is also because those are peers or even below your level.

Being competent in your work and communicating with peers allows you to be more at ease; making mistakes in front of someone you admire can serve as motivation for self-improvement.

As a side note, sometimes seeing shy, nervous, unconfident, or timid eyes feels like looking at my past self, which brings a sense of familiarity. But one thing is certain: whether in the past, present, or future, being serious and caring is a necessary prerequisite for doing a good job.

So do your best; you will earn respect, and the shyness or timidity displayed during the process may make you seem genuine and lovable, not as bad as you think.

How to Chat with New Clients for the First Time#

When I first became a lawyer, I was always particularly nervous when meeting new clients, worried about the awkward situation of running out of things to say, so I often found myself "making conversation." Later, after observing many charismatic colleagues, I finally understood one thing: I don’t need the client to "like" me; I just need them to "trust" me. Therefore, whether the atmosphere is relaxed or serious is merely a surface phenomenon; the key is to demonstrate professional competence that impresses the client. This requires understanding the client's core interests and concerns and being well-prepared for the topics you discuss. For example, if the client is in construction, I might start with a few words about the weather, then transition to how extreme weather can cause delays, leading to claims from the owner. Once the client realizes that we share common topics in their area of expertise (at least not too out of touch), the atmosphere won’t be too bad.

As for building rapport (hometown, alumni, mutual acquaintances, shared interests), while it can lighten the atmosphere, clients won’t be persuaded solely by these factors. On the contrary, a relaxed atmosphere sometimes indicates that the client is not taking you seriously and merely views you as someone to chat with.

If you truly need some topics to warm up or break the silence, I think discussing sports is a good idea because there are many commonalities between business and sports, and most people have something to talk about; it’s best to avoid politics unless the client brings it up.

1. Treat the client as a person, not just a client.

After working for so long, you must have noticed that in work, whether dealing with superiors, peers, or subordinates, your attitude and performance create a solid impression, such as being gentle with superiors, humble with peers, and strict with subordinates. We are all human and cannot avoid these. However, when we leave work and enjoy time with friends, we seem to become a different person—more relaxed and at ease, able to chat with friends about many things and open new topics, making everyone laugh. This is the first point: treat the client as an ordinary person.

Some may argue that treating them as ordinary people may lack respect and forget the original intention. I would respond that when people meet, they will first notice each other's strengths and will actively show their strengths. At this point, they appear to be good people in your eyes, and you are also willing to be a good person in their hearts. There will be no disrespect between newly acquainted individuals; they will likely behave better than usual. If you fear forgetting your original intention, such as introducing the product or addressing the client's needs, just let it go; after chatting happily, the topic will naturally return to business without you needing to force it.

2. Learn a bit of dialect or language.

This is the most relevant skill or technique to the topic, as it can easily create a pleasant feeling with the other party. When meeting new clients, there will definitely be some small talk after exchanging business cards, etc. Glancing at the other person's name, if the surname is unique, you can guess if they are from XXX; if they are, congratulations! If not, congratulations again, as they will likely tell you where they are from. At this point, you have grasped important information. Occasionally adding a bit of their hometown dialect during the conversation will make them feel more connected. If you often read newspapers and news, knowing something about their hometown will encourage them to chat with you further. Dialects are indeed important; after spending time in Shanghai, I found that when two Shanghainese speak Shanghainese together, even if they don’t know each other, they quickly become friends. So abandon the idea of forcing children to speak Mandarin; dialects are an art and a tool that will eventually come in handy. You may not understand why now, but this method has proven effective time and again.

3. Observe the other party's points of excitement.

This may be something everyone knows but can be challenging to find. There are some small methods you can use. Although it may sound harsh, most people like to show off, and clients are no exception. Sometimes, their characteristics will reveal many key pieces of information to you (for example, a previous equipment supplier client initially communicated with Japanese people above, but during a visit, when talking to a Chinese person, they casually mentioned, "We might be busy today; we are at the SONY site," revealing the final client they wouldn’t normally disclose). You might say not everyone is that foolish, but I will now teach you a method to make them reveal more. Referring to the previous phone call, I immediately said to the client, "Really? Such a big client," and they replied, "Of course, several orders." What I want to teach you is simple: recognition. Learn to recognize, and you become an excellent listener. Whether they are ordinary youths or artistic youths, when they find a great listener, they will never want to give that up. They will start to express what they want to say, vent, and show off.

The above contains many aspects that require you to improvise on the spot. I am merely teaching you the method. For example, you may discover the client's concerns, interests, etc. My client once told me about their love for racing, secretly driving their modified GT at night. Sharing illegal activities with you indicates a level of trust.

As for what Raymond Wang mentioned earlier, that a client chatting easily with you means they are not taking you seriously, this varies by situation. Some clients may chat easily with you because they care about you. Those in charge may chat easily with you but may not take you seriously; however, it depends on the ratio of casual conversation to serious discussions. If the other party is in management, they may not take you seriously and may not have time to chat easily. Therefore, treat them differently.

I really don’t want to bring out the crazy remarks from my clients to prove my point. But please believe me, once they start talking a lot, if they don’t trust you, it’s because they recognize you as their listener. Similarly, they will also be willing to occasionally listen to some of your requests.

Communicating with Busy Superiors#

Unless it is very urgent, do not directly call to schedule a meeting with your leader. Instead, arrange a time via text message, clearly stating what you want to discuss and how much time you need, giving the leader a psychological expectation in advance.

Usually, at key points, write emails to report work to your superior, as leaders have little time, so work reports also require skills. This is something people working in state-owned enterprises are quite good at; write the key points in bold and elaborate in a new paragraph.

If it is a senior leader, they may not necessarily understand your matters, so briefly introduce the background. During the conversation, prompt the leader to think by succinctly presenting your difficulties and confusions, directly (but politely) expressing the support you need.

When talking, start with the important points, then decide whether to elaborate based on the superior's time.

Avoid discussing too many matters at once; distinguish between primary and secondary issues. It is great if they can help you with your most important task.

Every time I meet with a leader, I print an extra copy of the materials and place them on their desk, so even if our conversation is short, if they are interested, they can read further.

Practice the skill of explaining things clearly in three sentences when you encounter leaders in the elevator.

Being interrupted is completely normal; you need to develop the ability to seamlessly continue your thoughts, which requires your thinking to be very clear.

If a very important conversation keeps getting postponed, have the determination to not give up until you meet. For example, once I scheduled a meeting with the boss, but they kept postponing it due to being too busy. I decisively texted, saying I was at the company and could meet whenever they were free, and soon I was arranged for a meeting.

Communication Skills with Leaders#

Scenario: The leader assigns tasks that may be vague or unclear. This is because:

• They habitually express themselves this way.
• They think we understand.
• We also think we understand.
• They want to assess us.
• They themselves may not fully understand and expect interaction.

Response Method:

1. Clarify the purpose and goals of the task.
   Ask progressively deeper questions at four levels: open-ended questions, choice questions, closed questions, and safety questions. Using the topic described by the questioner as an example:
   • Open-ended question: "Leader, what occasion will this video for the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the group be used for, and who will it be shown to? How long does it need to be?"
   • Choice question: "Do you think we should highlight the great history of the establishment or the spirit of our school's members?"
   • Closed question: "The video framework is divided into three parts: A... B... C... Does that work for you?"
   • Safety question: "Is there anything else you would like to add?"

The benefit of this approach is to clarify the leader's needs, ensure effective communication, and avoid making changes after completing the task, which would waste time and effort.

2. Solutions and Plans
   Form at least two plans, A and B, and analyze their advantages, disadvantages, required time, and resources. Provide suggestions, but let the leader make the final decision.

The benefit of this approach is that it allows the leader to choose rather than judge, avoiding a situation where a single veto nullifies all previous efforts. At the same time, mentioning the required time and resources keeps the leader informed, allowing them to allocate additional personnel or resources as needed.

Mistakes Are Not Just Due to Carelessness#

The problem arises: since I started working, I have encountered various issues, and I can feel the dissatisfaction of my colleagues and leaders with my work abilities. However, I really do not want to lose my current job. I often find myself too careless and forgetful, so I have covered my computer with sticky notes to remind myself of what I need to do and what remains unfinished.

Let me give a few examples of my careless mistakes:

The first time was during lunch when I recorded electronic documents. I had saved them but didn’t close the form. I was too tired and took a nap for a while. When I woke up and checked the data, I found that the saved data had disappeared, and the construction team was very upset, directly expressing their anger to the leader...

The second time was when I was making a unit price approval form. After modifying the specifications, I found that I had made a mistake and modified it again, but I forgot to adjust one specification, printed it out, and had the leader sign it, only to discover the error later...

The third time was today. I had several documents with me, but after too long, I forgot about them. When a colleague asked for them, I confidently said they were not with me, then started organizing and found them. At that moment, I was completely stunned; they were indeed with me, and I had no recollection of it. Then, during a settlement, I deducted 5% for the warranty fund, but I mistakenly saw it as 3%... Luckily, I asked my mentor.

In summary, I am simply too careless, and I find it hard to understand why I only notice some very obvious problems when I am about to make a mistake or have almost made one... I would like to seek insights and guidance from seniors. Thank you!!!

Shangguan Ren

You might think that you and everyone else are just lacking in memory or attention to detail, right?

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Even if you memorize everything one by one, you will still forget it later. Even if you check every single word carefully, errors will still be caught during reviews. In my view, you are already working hard and under significant pressure, to the point where it has become a source of frustration.

What you actually lack is an understanding of the work system. You need to visualize what the process should look like, not just your own step, but also the upstream and downstream processes, even the entire complete loop from entry to submission to the client. This way, you will have a clear impression of your role in the entire process.

You will also understand what the purpose of your work is, how your position is designed, and what value everyone expects from your role.

Furthermore, you need to identify which outputs from your step are important and which are timely so you can understand. For important items, arrange detailed checks; for timely items, set alarms.

After this, you need to categorize all outputs you receive in your step and manage the document flow for each step clearly at your workstation, ensuring you can provide them within 10 seconds when someone asks.

What changes do all operations make to the inputs? What are the key points? How do you check these points? You need to provide a specific checklist for checking. Each time, check according to the list.

What you lack is a professional work attitude and methodology. To cultivate this, you must first slow down, organize clearly, think clearly, and then speed up.

—— Seriously analyze each mistake; never make the same mistake twice.

This is a phrase that appears in various workplace experiences and is quite clichéd. However, for me, it is the ultimate principle that helped me grow rapidly after overcoming the confusion of being a newcomer. Yes, it’s not about quantity but about effectiveness.

Now, let’s break down this principle into two parts: analyzing mistakes and avoiding mistakes, using the four mistakes you mentioned as examples.

1. Analyze Mistakes

Anyone can make mistakes, and newcomers are particularly prone to unexpected errors. This is normal, so don’t panic or feel anxious; face the reality that you will make mistakes and don’t blame them solely on carelessness—it's simply a lack of experience. What matters is not self-blame but calmly analyzing each mistake, identifying its root causes, and finding corresponding solutions.

Let’s not just give examples without substance!

Let’s look at the descriptions of your issues. From your descriptions, it is evident that your narrative lacks clarity; it seems you are saying whatever comes to mind, mostly describing phenomena without considering the underlying causes, and there is some emotionality involved.

Mistake One: Failure to Save Electronic Documents

Mistake Two: Unfamiliarity with Approval Form Specifications

Mistake Three: Lack of Document Preservation for Paper Copies

Mistake Four: Misreading Key Data

This makes it easy to see that Mistakes One and Three are related: they are about document organization and archiving. This means you have not yet established a systematic information storage pattern (including both electronic document saving and paper document preservation). Don’t think you can remember everything with your brain; once you establish your system, you won’t need to remember every detail. For example, I always save electronic documents with the current date as a prefix for new files at the start of each day, and I regularly press Ctrl+S. I also delve into whether commonly used software has an auto-save feature. If a file is lost, I also try to learn how to recover data. As for paper documents, there are many methods; you can buy more folders and store them by time or category, or if you don’t trust yourself, use a registration method to log received documents in Excel for easy retrieval. Of course, how you operate depends on your personal habits, and you will improve efficiency through continuous exploration.

Mistakes Two and Four can also be seen as a category: lack of familiarity with business. Many things you think are due to carelessness are actually due to inexperience. For example, that 5% warranty fund might be an industry standard (I’m guessing here, so please don’t blame me if I’m wrong). When facing such issues, you need to put in more effort and summarize. If you are diligent, you can memorize these established formats and standard data one by one. Over time, when you encounter them again, not only will you not misread them, but you will also gain a deeper understanding of the meaning behind that 5%.

Does this make things clearer? When facing mistakes, it’s not about punishing yourself but about thoroughly analyzing the causes. Different mistakes may stem from the same reason; perhaps you are not proficient with professional software, or perhaps your work lacks organization, or maybe you are too impatient when working, leaving an impression of being prone to errors. What mistakes you make is not important; understanding which shortcomings lead to these mistakes is what truly matters.

2. Avoid Mistakes

It is crucial not to make the same mistake twice, as this directly affects your workplace credibility. Workplace credibility is the impression of your abilities among colleagues and superiors. For example, if task A is assigned to person A, everyone will feel at ease, while if it is assigned to person B, there will be anxiety. If you repeatedly make the same mistake, it indicates a genuine issue with your work abilities.

Thus, the most important thing in avoiding mistakes is: learn from one mistake to prevent many similar mistakes.

To grow quickly, you cannot think about problems in a single-threaded manner; you must learn to think comprehensively. Making one mistake should lead you to summarize experiences to avoid most similar mistakes, rather than simply avoiding the exact same mistake.

Taking the example of Mistake Two, perhaps you have learned the format of the approval form and ensured it won’t be filled out incorrectly again. However, if another type of approval form comes up, and you fill it out incorrectly again, it indicates that you have not completely eliminated that mistake, meaning you are not familiar with various document formats within the company. Therefore, avoiding mistakes is not just about avoiding the same error but about preventing similar mistakes. Study all the various forms you need within your ability range, and eliminate potential mistakes before they arise.

How to Handle Mistakes That Cause Trouble for Others#

The best way to handle setbacks, mistakes, and the displeasure they bring to others, as well as the complaints from colleagues about you, is to treat them as a rare opportunity. Use practical actions to quickly remedy the situation, even exceeding their expectations, turning disadvantages into a significant advantage for your career. The specific approach will naturally vary by situation, but based on my experience (yes, I was once the default "useless" person in the office), here are a few principles you should consider:

1. Know Where the Problem Lies

This is very important, perhaps the most important. If you don’t even know where the problem lies, you won’t know how to exert your efforts. Is it due to your lack of attention, insufficient resources, or is your definition of the goal fundamentally inconsistent with the expectations of others? Reviewing the entire situation can help you identify the problem. More importantly, you need to hear the thoughts of those directly affected. If you are brave enough and don’t have communication anxiety, go directly to the dissatisfied person and ask them; everyone likes someone who is willing to admit their mistakes. If you are shy, ask others, but be careful to ask several people to avoid major misunderstandings.

2. Express Your Attitude

Act quickly. After the other party expresses dissatisfaction, before proposing a solution, quickly express your determination to address the issue. Remember, your goal is not just to resolve the trouble but to exceed the other party's expectations. Swiftly expressing your willingness to take responsibility and correct mistakes is something many people fail to do, making it an unexpected behavior for the other party.

3. Make Realistic Promises

Give the other party a promise; you don’t need to guarantee it with your character, but you must take your words seriously. By the agreed deadline (or even earlier—remember, your goal is to exceed expectations), present the results of your remedy, fulfilling your promise! People who follow through on their words are valued everywhere.

4. Take Action

This goes without saying. You can always work harder; everything else is an excuse. Understanding this is enough.

People enjoy seeing heroes in movies who overcome numerous challenges to conquer their weaknesses and ultimately achieve their goals. Similarly, they appreciate those around them who dare to face difficulties and correct their mistakes. Show your "customers" that you are not merely completing tasks but are someone who aims for "satisfaction" in your work and can be trusted.

Manage your unique business well, value your reputation, and earn increasing loyalty from those you work with. Regardless of your position, you have the opportunity for a career turnaround.

When to Figure Things Out Yourself or Ask for Help Immediately#

1. If it does not affect the task delivery goal, prioritize figuring it out yourself and seeking answers.

2. If it may affect task delivery, seek help promptly, but before asking for help, you need to clarify what you need assistance with. Don’t go to others without understanding the problem.

3. Before seeking help, make every effort within your ability to find answers. When others ask you, you can explain what attempts you have made. For many senior employees and supervisors, they can accept your temporary lack of knowledge and experience as a newcomer, but they will not accept your lack of effort. This also helps avoid developing a habit of always seeking help first.

4. When seeking help, try to organize your questions and ask when others are less busy to minimize the impact on their work. At the same time, when asking questions, ensure you understand; don’t hesitate because you worry about wasting others' time or fear they will think you lack understanding. This can lead to unclear questions and repeated inquiries, which will annoy others. From my experience, when someone asks for my help, I prefer in-depth discussions to answer all questions at once. If the person seeking help can ask more questions, I won’t deny them; instead, I will appreciate their good thinking ability and initiative.

How a "Low-Level Employee" Can Promote Cross-Departmental Cooperation#

1. I joined the company through campus recruitment, interned for 5 months, and have been officially employed for 18 months.

2. My level is the lowest at headquarters.

3. I currently represent my department in a large company project (which involves almost all functions of the company and is a new business running parallel to the main business; this project is still in testing).

4. My job in this project is to integrate some content from our system, distribute it, and coordinate execution with regions and subsidiaries.

Problems Encountered:#

1-1. The people I interact with are all of higher rank than me; they often do not attend meetings I invite them to, and the documents they are required to provide are often not submitted on time or not submitted at all.

1-2. My leader urges me to complete work results on time and distribute them, forcing me to take on some of their work, which increases my workload invisibly, and over time, they become accustomed to this and treat it as my fixed responsibility.

1-3. More critically, this content needs to be distributed nationwide, and if problems arise, I will be held accountable; it means I am doing more while also bearing the risk of challenges.

2-1. Since this is a completely new project for the company, there is no prior experience, so the processes and content are entirely unclear, and it is like crossing a river by feeling the stones. This leads to various problems during execution. Since our department is responsible for execution, these problems will be fed back to me.

2-2. At this point, various functions tend to shirk responsibility, and several departments may need me to organize meetings to communicate and resolve issues, improve processes, and standardize systems.

2-3. After a round of back-and-forth discussions, some systems may need to be published by me, and I may continue to face challenges below, as I have been pushed to the forefront.

3-1. Especially when problems are serious, it may be that the bosses between systems are arguing via email. Since I have been appearing and following up on issues, often the higher-ups regard me as the one to be held accountable, and I feel like I am taking the blame.

Personal Summary (I Believe the Core of the Problem):#

Low level, low power → passively assigned large responsibilities → imbalance of rights and responsibilities → I find it difficult to promote the project → problems arise in the project → because I am involved more → I must take responsibility. But I feel that many of these tasks are not mine!

Young people, do not have the mindset of "I am a low-level employee." Such thoughts will undermine your confidence and stifle your creative thinking.

Now, I will address your concerns one by one.

"1-1. The people I interact with are all of higher rank than me; they often do not attend meetings I invite them to, and the documents they are required to provide are often not submitted on time or not submitted at all."

Answer: There are two types of meetings: routine work meetings (regular process meetings) and results-oriented meetings (focused on solving specific problems). You need to clarify which type of meeting it is. If it is a routine work meeting, attending as needed is unquestionable, but afterward, you need to send the meeting minutes, including decisions, spirit, and arrangements, to everyone. If it is a results-oriented meeting that concerns the work of all participants, attendance is mandatory; if they do not attend, you can inform your leader and let them issue a warning as needed. (If a participant's salary is 9,000 yuan, that participant's average hourly cost is 38 yuan. If there are 10 people in the meeting, the human cost of the meeting is 380 yuan, not to mention the material and hidden costs, which will exceed 500 yuan. Think about it: if you saw someone stealing a 500 yuan water dispenser from your company, how would you react?)

"1-2. My leader urges me to complete work results on time and distribute them, forcing me to take on some of their work, which increases my workload invisibly, and over time, they become accustomed to this and treat it as my fixed responsibility; more critically, this content needs to be distributed nationwide, and if problems arise, I will be held accountable; it means I am doing more while also bearing the risk of challenges."

Answer: Based on my experience, the reason they submit data late or not at all is that they are unclear about the purpose and requirements of the data or have not formed a concept of data submission. You need to negotiate with your leader to establish a data submission mechanism, continuously communicate and supervise data, and set penalties for late or non-submission and rewards for timely submission (such as KPI evaluations). Do not take on their work; it is better to spend an hour helping them complete it themselves than to spend five minutes doing it for them, as this will save you a lot of time.

"2-1. Since this is a completely new project for the company, there is no prior experience, so the processes and content are entirely unclear, and it is like crossing a river by feeling the stones. This leads to various problems during execution. Since our department is responsible for execution, these problems will be fed back to me; 2-2. At this point, various functions tend to shirk responsibility, and several departments may need me to organize meetings to communicate and resolve issues, improve processes, and standardize systems."

Answer: There is nothing wrong with crossing a river by feeling the stones; you can apply to HR for relevant training for everyone. It is normal for people to shirk responsibility; everyone is human, not a god. When organizing meetings, ensure they effectively solve problems; I suggest you read books on meeting organization, paying attention to the requirement that meetings should lead to decisions that ultimately resolve issues; otherwise, they are ineffective. Your leader may be incompetent, but as the organizer, you cannot allow the meeting to be ineffective.

"2-3. After a round of back-and-forth discussions, some systems may need to be published by me, and I may continue to face challenges below, as I have been pushed to the forefront; 3-1. Especially when problems are serious, it may be that the bosses between systems are arguing via email. Since I have been appearing and following up on issues, often the higher-ups regard me as the one to be held accountable, and I feel like I am taking the blame."

Answer: It is actually a good thing for you to publish the systems, as it can increase your authority and serve as personal training. However, you must clearly understand the content you publish; otherwise, you will become a laughingstock. There is no need to worry about feedback; if there are no problems, it indicates that the regions or subsidiaries are not working. The key is to categorize these issues; for common problems, you can develop standard answers, while for uncommon or special issues, you can have your leader communicate one-on-one with personnel from the regions or offices. If it cannot be resolved, you can hold a meeting.

Your personal summary about low-level issues and the imbalance of rights and responsibilities is a viewpoint that could be written in textbooks, but you cannot think this way. Even if you were given absolute power, you would still encounter these problems; otherwise, you would be running a dictatorship and become an ineffective manager. Different problems have different causes, and lumping all problems into one reason is very foolish.

Finally, if your work involves spending a lot of time in meetings that do not solve problems and you are merely dealing with urgent matters without a systematic plan, it may be time to leave this company, as it has serious issues.

Notes on Cross-Departmental Cooperation#

Common problems in cross-departmental cooperation include:

1. Poor communication;

2. Mutual shirking of responsibility;

3. Lack of coordination.

These three issues are often phenomena that occur in cross-departmental cooperation and influence each other, with many causal loops between the three factors.

So what is the key to solving these problems?

First, look at the substantive content reflected behind these three problems.

1. The main factors contributing to poor communication are the inaction of managers, unclear expression of needs, and lack of a timeline.

2. The main factor for mutual shirking of responsibility is the inaction of responsible parties and unclear division of responsibilities.

3. Lack of coordination stems from unclear work content and no clear timeline.

Thus, there are several key points: the role of managers and the setting of timelines.

To promote mutual cooperation, the issues that need to be addressed are effective communication, clear needs, setting deadlines, and providing feedback on timelines.