The Send and Delete Employee Test

Last month I was talking to an entrepreneur, and we got into a discussion about employees, culture, and different types of team members. He shared that one of his favorite attributes in a team member is what he calls a “send and delete” level of competence.

I hadn’t heard this term before, so I had to ask what he meant.

A send and delete team member is someone you can send an email or text message to and know, beyond any doubt, that what you requested will get done. There is no need for follow-up. There is no need to add it to a list of items to review. It is guaranteed, every time, to get done. Send the email and immediately delete it.

Of course, this isn’t a quality that every employee needs to have. While it would be ideal, it is most applicable to detail-oriented roles such as a chief of staff, someone in operations, or any position that requires a high level of execution and reliability. It would be great for everyone to have this quality, but it is not required in every role.

After our conversation, the idea kept rattling around in my head.
Who on the team is a send and delete type of employee? Can I throw something over the fence and never worry about it again because I know it will get done?

My advice for entrepreneurs is to use this question when evaluating team members. Which ones pass the send and delete test, and which ones don’t?

Entrepreneurs benefit from having a strong group of employees who pass this test. It becomes one less thing to worry about when requests are made and frees up focus on other items.