The art of office e-mail war

Thu, 09 May 2002 19:30:00 +0000

"Rapidity is the essence of war," Sun Tzu writes in "The Art of War." "Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots." It's a lesson that could just as well apply to corporate warfare as to the conventional battlefield. And it's one I learned the hard way.

It happened while I was a working at a large Internet start-up in the mid-1990s. My boss asked me to write a proposal for a partnership between our company and a major East Coast media firm. It was my chance to shine, perhaps even to earn a promotion.

I had just finished a first draft when a co-worker assisting me -- I'll call her "Joan" -- asked to see what I had written. So I e-mailed her a copy. The next thing I knew, she had forwarded my proposal, along with a note describing herself as the principal author, to the entire executive team managing the project.

I had been duped, and I felt humiliated. But I soon got my revenge. Later, while putting the finishing touches on the report, I got a call from Joan asking to see the updated version. "Sure," I said, and hung up the phone. I quickly finished and attached the report to an e-mail addressed to every VP and director I thought would be interested. This time it was clear that I was the one who had done all the work. I put Joan's name at the bottom of the distribution list and clicked "send." Game over.

Salon.com > David Miller

The art of office e-mail war