338 - Managing Your Executives Inbox - ChatGPT Image Simpsons

In this episode, you’ll hear an AI-generated conversation based on my blog post all about tactics for managing your executive’s email inbox.

I hope you enjoy listening to some fascinating AI technology in action, and of course, it’s nice to get a break from my voice every once in a while. 🙂

NOTE: The title image above was also created by AI (ChatGPT to be specific).

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Jeremy Burrows - San Diego 2024
ABOUT JEREMY

Jeremy Burrows is a longtime executive assistant, international speaker, author of the #1 bestselling book, The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of a Confident, Game-Changing Assistant, founder of The Leader Assistant Community, and host of the #1 podcast for assistants – The Leader Assistant Podcast.

He has worked with CEOs, professional athletes, Fortune 100 board members, and billionaires spanning across the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.

Jeremy has had the opportunity to speak to assistants all over the world at multiple conferences of various sizes in Hong Kong, Thailand, Germany, and the United States.

He’s currently Senior EA to the Founder and CEO of Capacity – a fast-growing, artificial intelligence software company.

Jeremy’s passion is to help you lead well, resist burnout, and automate before you’re automated.

Jeremy lives in Kansas City, MO with his wife and 2 boys. To connect with Jeremy or learn more about his training resources for executives and assistants, visit LeaderAssistant.com.

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Jeremy Burrows 0:00
Hey friends, welcome to episode 338 I’m your host, Jeremy Burrows, and I’m excited to share an AI generated interview with my AI friends from notebook LM, a Google AI tool that I’ve been trying out in Episode 300 you heard a snippet from an article that I wrote that I converted to an AI generated podcast, and in this episode, I wanted to share another one based off of a blog post I wrote called email management tactic, and This AI generated podcast interview that you’re about to hear is short and sweet and just kind of highlights the tips and tricks that I share in that blog post. You can check out the show notes at leaderassistant.com/338, and I hope you enjoy this AI generated, and in my opinion, quite interesting conversation. And if you’re wondering why I’m talking so quiet, it’s because my boys are sleeping, so I’m going to try to not wake them up.

Podcast Intro 1:19
The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, Game Changing leader assistants.

AI Voice 2 1:37
Ever feel like you’re drowning in email? I mean, either your own inbox, or even maybe you’re an executive assistant and you’ve got your executives inbox to deal with as well. Oh yeah, today we’re diving deep into that very problem. Sounds good email management for EAS, and we’re going to be drawing on some great advice from go burrows over at leader assistant resources and his piece email management tactics for leader assistants

AI Voice 1 2:01
and for everyone listening out there. This is really all about how to get back some of your time, how to reclaim some of your time, right? I mean, whether you’re supporting an executive or you’re managing your own crazy inbox, right? This is about figuring out how to stay on top of everything without getting totally buried.

AI Voice 2 2:18
Yeah, and go. Really hits the nail on the head when he talks about just how overwhelming it can be, like all the spam, all the, you know, useless notifications, and then on top of that, you have these crucial emails that need attention right away, right absolutely.

AI Voice 1 2:31
And so let’s jump right in. So for all the executive assistants out there, you know, why? Why bother? Why invest all this time and energy in managing your executives inbox, you’re already busy enough,

AI Voice 2 2:45
right? Yeah. I mean, it seems like just one more thing to add to the to do list, right?

AI Voice 1 2:49
But, but here’s the thing, it’s actually a really smart move, okay, because the benefits go way beyond just, you know, saving the executive a few minutes here and there for you as the assistant, being in that inbox gives you incredible insight. You get to see firsthand what the organization’s priorities are, how decisions are being made. Interesting. It’s like having a backstage pass to the inner workings of the company. I like

AI Voice 2 3:15
that. Yeah. So Gore mentions this really simple but powerful tactic, and that is checking the Sent folder. Oh, yeah. And I think it’s more than just, you know, making sure an email actually went out Right

AI Voice 1 3:26
exactly. It’s about understanding how your executive follows through. Okay. Are they quick to respond? What kind of language do they use with different people, you know? Are they formal? Are they more casual? It gives you this really clear picture of their communication style, right? And it also helps you anticipate things like follow up questions. Okay, so you see a response went out, you know? Okay, that issue is probably being handled.

AI Voice 2 3:49
So it’s almost like you’re getting a crash course in, you know, business operations and leadership, just by being in that inbox Exactly. And for anyone out there who’s who’s looking to learn as much as they can, as quickly as they can, about their organization. This sounds like a pretty amazing tool. It really is okay. So, so now let’s talk about the elephant in the room here, and that is actually getting access to the executives inbox, right? Because go acknowledges that sometimes there are company policies or security protocols that might prevent that, right? And those are totally legitimate, right? Absolutely. But what about when it’s the executive themselves who are hesitant? Yeah, that’s a

AI Voice 1 4:27
good point, and it makes sense, right? I mean, their inbox can feel very personal, yeah, so go suggests framing the conversation in a way that focuses on the benefits for them, emphasize how you’re going to free up their time so they can focus on the big picture stuff. Okay, you’re gonna filter out the noise. Make sure they only see what absolutely needs their attention, right? And that really speaks to their main concern, which is, you know, being as productive and impactful as possible.

AI Voice 2 4:55
I like that. And you could even, you know, suggest a trial period. Yeah. Yeah, right, just to kind of show them how much time it’s going to save them exactly. Okay, so you’ve made your case. You’ve gained access. Yeah, now let’s get into the nitty gritty. Okay, the actual tactics for effective email management, right? And the first one that go emphasizes is so, so crucial, and that is confidentiality.

AI Voice 1 5:17
Absolutely. This is non negotiable, right? Right? You’re being trusted with something very sensitive, and you have to maintain that trust go is very clear, unless you encounter something illegal or unethical, right, or something that violates company policy or could be physically harmful, everything you see in that inbox is private right, no exceptions, no gossiping, no it’s really the foundation of the whole system. Without that trust, nothing else works.

AI Voice 2 5:42
Okay, so let’s talk about setting up a system. Okay, because you could be dealing with hundreds of emails a day. Oh, yeah, easy. How do you bring order to that

AI Voice 1 5:52
chaos? So go suggest a really practical approach. Okay, if you open an email and you can handle it yourself, great, go ahead and do it, but if it needs the executives input, he says, mark it as unread. Okay, so it’s a visual cue for them, right? Then, once they’ve read it and ideally taken action on it, you can archive it, okay, but, and this is important, he says, You have to agree on archiving protocols. You know, are there certain types of emails that should always be kept readily available, right? You have to clarify those expectations up front, right? So you don’t accidentally lose important information.

AI Voice 2 6:28
I mean, imagine the executive is looking for a specific email and it’s gone. Oh

AI Voice 1 6:32
yeah, that would be bad, right? And go actually tells this story about an executive who had over 11,000 emails in their inbox. Oh my gosh. And just the act of archiving most of them, it made a huge difference. Wow. And it’s important to remember archiving isn’t deleting, right? Those emails are still searchable if you need them, yeah?

AI Voice 2 6:51
And I think for anyone who’s feeling overwhelmed by their inbox, whether it’s their own or their executives, just that idea of decluttering, it can be so

AI Voice 1 6:59
powerful, absolutely, it’s like hitting the reset button. Yeah, okay, let’s

AI Voice 2 7:03
move on to another tactic that go highlights and and that is drafting emails on behalf of the executive. Oh, yeah, this one’s huge. This. This sounds like a real time saver.

AI Voice 1 7:13
Absolutely, if you understand the context of an email and what the executive wants to achieve, you can often draft the entire response for them to review and send. Think about routine inquiries or standard follow ups. You can probably handle the whole thing,

AI Voice 2 7:28
okay, but, but what if you don’t have all the information you need to write a complete draft?

AI Voice 1 7:33
Well, even then, you can still be super helpful. Okay, go suggest preparing draft emails with the recipient’s address already filled in. You can write a professional intro and closing and then leave the main message for the executive to personalize.

AI Voice 2 7:47
So you’re basically doing all the prep work exactly, right? So they don’t have to spend time looking up contact details or starting from scratch, right?

AI Voice 1 7:54
And it’s all right there in their drafts folder, so they don’t forget about it. It’s all

AI Voice 2 7:58
about anticipating needs and making the whole communication process as smooth as possible, exactly. Okay. So now, how do you make sure that the most important emails don’t get lost in the shuffle?

AI Voice 1 8:08
Right? Well, that’s where prioritization comes in. You need a clear system for figuring out which emails need attention first, right? And go give some great examples. Okay, in Gmail, you can use stars to flag urgent or high priority emails, right? You can also set up automatic labeling for key contacts like board advisors or important business partners. Most email platforms let you create rules based on the sender’s address or keywords in the subject line, right? So think about who your executive interacts with most frequently and who needs a quick response. So

AI Voice 2 8:43
basically, the executive can just glance at their inbox and immediately see what needs their attention

AI Voice 1 8:47
Exactly. It’s about creating those visual shortcuts. I like that. Okay, so shifting gears a bit. Go also talks about something that’s really relevant today, and that’s AI AI, artificial intelligence and its role in email management,

AI Voice 2 9:02
yeah, because there’s so much buzz about AI these days, right? And go

AI Voice 1 9:05
specifically points out the limitations of AI when it comes to the nuances of human communication. This is interesting. He gives this example of an AI that might understand the literal content of an email perfectly, okay, but it completely misses the emotional context or the recipient’s personal situation, right? So ends up sending a really tone deaf response

AI Voice 2 9:27
that that makes sense, and it really highlights the importance of human judgment and empathy, right? You know, AI can automate some basic

AI Voice 1 9:33
tasks, yeah, like sorting or drafting, right? But it can’t read between the lines Exactly. It can’t understand those subtle cues that we humans pick up on,

AI Voice 2 9:42
and this is a really important point for everyone listening, especially with all the talk about AI replacing administrative roles. Ghost perspective really emphasizes the value of human intelligence, absolutely emotional awareness, that ability to understand context things. That AI just can’t do yet, at

AI Voice 1 10:02
least not in its current form, right? Go doesn’t see AI fully replacing a skilled human assistant anytime soon.

AI Voice 2 10:08
Okay, so to wrap things up, okay, our deep dive into go burrows work shows us that effective email management is so much more than just cleaning up an inbox,

AI Voice 1 10:18
right? It’s strategic, right? It’s about freeing up the executives time and attention, yeah, but it’s also about giving you the assistant these incredible learning opportunities. You get to understand the organization from the inside

AI Voice 2 10:29
out, yeah, you get to see the executives priorities firsthand exactly, and

AI Voice 1 10:33
ultimately, it helps you become an even more valuable asset to the team.

AI Voice 2 10:37
So here’s a final thought for everyone to consider. We’ve talked about gaining access to the inbox, establishing confidentiality, setting up a system, drafting emails, prioritizing and understanding the limitations of AI, right? Lot of good stuff. So what’s one small change you could make today to better manage your email flow, and in doing so, maybe gain some deeper insights into the priorities of your executive or even your own priorities. Yeah, it’s well, thinking about, it’s about taking control, being proactive, absolutely, and staying informed. Yeah, great insights. So we’ll, we’ll leave it there for today. All right, sounds good? Thanks for listening to the deep dive. Thanks everyone.

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