How to Setup

<aside> <img src="/icons/new-alert_purple.svg" alt="/icons/new-alert_purple.svg" width="40px" /> First, be sure you and your CEO are using the same email clients.

</aside>

• The organization of the inbox will be different depending on if you're using Gmail, or something else.
• Additionally, emails you draft in one email client won't be saved onto the other.
• Therefore, it's best to use the same email client.

Create labels

In the CEO's Gmail create labels for the following:

• Emails Drafted, Awaiting Approval - email drafter has enough context to write the email, so the draft is written and ready to be approved by the exec.
• Further Action Needed - email drafter lacks context to respond adequately.
• Signature Required - the email needs a signature from the CEO.
  • If the CEO is comfortable doing so, the email drafter can help sign documents on their behalf in order to save time - but only if trust has been built on this front.
• Time-Sensitive Email - this is an email that is urgent and important to send out.
  • Make sure to combine this label with either Email Drafted if the email has been written and ready to send, or Further Action Needed if the email needs further context.

Set up a “send mail as” for yourself:

But why set one up? 🤔

As the COO, even though you have unfettered access to the CEO's inbox, you'll want to be explicitly clear when it's you writing in your own voice versus when you're drafting emails for the exec.

Do not send emails as the CEO

If you write and send things without the CEO’s approval, you may agree to something or say something that the CEO is not aware of. And if the receiver brings it up to the CEO on a later date and the CEO does not know what she or he is referring to, it will become very clear that the CEOhas a ghostwriter. People will then feel duped, and this will quickly smirch your CEO's reputation. This means you must draft emails and leave them marked with the "Awaiting Approval" label.

However, if you are writing internally (e.g.: to the finance department, or to other internal personnel), it is okay to respond using your own name, provided you have full context.

Do not respond using the CEO's persona.

Instead, toggle the "send as" email to your own alias. That way, any replies will also end up in your inbox instead.

How to setup “send as mail” on Gmail

How to 👇

1. Log into the exec's Gmail account.
2. Click on the gear icon.
3. Click See all Settings.
4. Click on Accounts.
5. Under Send Mail As, click Add another email address.
6. Follow the prompts. Make sure to treat not as an alias.
7. Click save at the bottom.

Add a signature to the account to make sure it's clear you are the person sending emails.

Under "Settings", click on General.

• Scroll down to Signature and create a new signature.
• Under Signature defaults, toggle to your email address.
• Set the signature so that your name shows up. This clearly indicates you are the writer of any correspondence that goes out from your email account.

Actions for COO

<aside> <img src="/icons/new-alert_purple.svg" alt="/icons/new-alert_purple.svg" width="40px" /> It is especially important to mark the emails that are Time-Sensitive.

• This helps the CEO stay focused on things that will explode if they don't get to it in a timely manner.
• This label should be applied in addition to either Drafted, Awaiting Approval, Signature Required, or Further Action Needed. </aside>

Once you've set up these labels and created your "send mail as," go through the exec's inbox and label everything, starting with the oldest email that has not received a response.

• For emails that are internal, you can respond on your own - just make sure you toggle the "send from" section. You'll know it's been done correctly if your custom signature inserts properly.
• For stuff that requires a response from the exec (most external-facing things)...
  • If you have enough context to respond, draft the email. Then, label the email as Emails Drafted, Awaiting Approval.
  • If you lack context, leave notes at the top of the draft email in red so exec can respond to the comment asynchronously. Then, label the email as Further Action Needed.
• For stuff that needs a signature, flag them as Signature Required.
  • It's helpful if the Exec eventually gives you Docusign capabilities - at that point, you can help them sign all relevant documents. But when starting off, aggregate all things that need a signature.
  • If the document has been provided as a PDF, the Exec may choose to allow you to save their signature on your computer. In this case, download the file, sign it on behalf of the Exec, and then attach the signed PDF to the email. Draft out an email to the sender and mark it as Drafted, Awaiting Approval.
  • Be sure the Exec knows you have signed the document so they can review it before sending.
• Some other categories that I've found helpful:
  • Reply? - this is a helpful split inbox to have if there are inbound emails coming to the Exec and you're not sure if the Exec wants to respond or not. This can be inbound sales emails, follow-ups and check-ins from old friends, and so on.
  • Deliveries - if the Exec has package deliveries that get sent somewhere other than the office, it's helpful to separate these and label them (e.g.: UPS Delivery) so their assistant knows there are packages to pick up.