“Most of My Answers Are Two Letters — ‘OK’ or ‘No.’”

Siemens CEO Roland Busch says he receives roughly 200 emails a day and tries to keep fewer than 100 in his inbox. His method is to answer quickly and, frequently, with one of two words: “OK” or “No.”

Busch says his team is trained to communicate this way. For longer replies, he sometimes dictates while walking through the office. He also avoids recurring meetings with direct reports, asking them to come to him when they need him instead.

Corporate Lunch interpretation: the executive inbox is under control. The employee inbox now contains “OK” and the minor follow-up assignment of determining precisely which part of the email was approved.