Level 2 · follow-up or refusal
Push back on your boss: an annotated email example
Push back on the deadline and offer a solution.
The situation
Frederick WhiteYour director
Frederick wants the full tender file by tomorrow. Two days of work remain. You can deliver the technical section tomorrow and the rest on Friday.
In a hurry and used to hearing yes. He accepts a no if it comes with a solution.
Goal
Push back on the deadline and offer a solution.
The winning structure
A good email for this situation includes these elements, in this order:
- A greeting with the recipient's first name.
- A clear no to the deadline
- The reason (two days of work)
- The solution (technical part tomorrow, rest Friday)
- A request for approval
- A clear ask at the end: a question or an action with a deadline.
- A short sign-off, then your name.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out a clear no to the deadline : « So will I have it tomorrow or not? »
- Leaving out the reason (two days of work) : « Why? What's blocking? »
- Leaving out the solution (technical part tomorrow, rest Friday) : « So what are you proposing? »
- Leaving out a request for approval : « Are you deciding or asking me? »
- A refusal or follow-up so polite it becomes vague: the reader doesn't know how to answer.
- Over-explaining instead of proposing a next step.
Write your own version: the recipient reacts and you get a score out of 100.
The annotated example
Try it yourself first: you'll remember more. Click to show the example.
Subject : Tender file: proposed timeline
Hi Frederick,
- Greeting by first name: the reader knows it's for them.
The full file by tomorrow isn't realistic: two days of work remain.
- Includes: a clear no to the deadline.
- Includes: the reason (two days of work).
I can deliver the technical section tomorrow and the complete file on Friday. Does that work for you?
- Includes: the solution (technical part tomorrow, rest Friday).
- Includes: a request for approval.
- Clear ask: the reader knows what to do.
Thanks,
Alex
- Short sign-off, then the name.
Why it works : 34 words against a target of 85, 6 words per sentence on average, no filler phrases.