Even the most polished higher education leaders can fall into lazy email habits over time. A rushed send here, a missing signature there—and suddenly your communication is working against you instead of for you. In an environment where clarity and efficiency are institutional assets, sloppy email habits quietly erode the confidence your team and colleagues place in your leadership. It is worth taking ten minutes to audit what your outgoing emails are actually saying about you—before someone else notices first.

Run a quick check against these four standards:

  1. Clear, Professional Salutation. “Hey” is for hallways, not inboxes. Every professional email should open with a greeting that matches the relationship and the stakes of the message. When in doubt, err on the side of formality—it is far easier to relax a tone over time than to recover from one that felt dismissive or careless.
  2. Proofread Body Text. Autocorrect is not your editor, and a typo in a message to your board chair or a prospective hire sends an unintended signal. Read your email once before you send it. For high-stakes messages, read it aloud. The thirty seconds it takes to catch an error is far less costly than the impression that error leaves behind.
  3. Personal Signature. Your closing line is the last thing a reader sees—make it count. A professional signature that includes your name, title, and institution reinforces your identity and the weight of your communication. It is a small detail that signals you take your correspondence seriously.
  4. Contact Information in Your Footer. If a colleague, partner, or prospective hire wants to pick up the phone and call you, can they find your number without a second email? A complete footer—name, title, institution, phone number, and website—removes friction and invites the kind of real-time dialogue that moves important conversations forward.

At Hyatt-Fennell, we know that a leader’s communication style is an extension of their professional brand. If you are investing in your institution’s next great hire, make sure every touchpoint—including your inbox—reflects the standard of excellence you expect from your team.