Siemens chief Roland Busch limits inbox to under 100 messages and drops regular one-on-ones
Siemens CEO Roland Busch keeps his email count below 100 by replying with brief two-letter responses and forgoes recurring meetings with his direct reports, preferring an open-door approach.
Roland Busch, the chief executive of Siemens, maintains a disciplined email practice by keeping his inbox under 100 messages, replying with concise two-letter replies and dictating longer notes while walking the office. He extends this efficiency philosophy to his schedule, rejecting recurring one-on-one meetings with senior managers and instead keeping his door open for ad-hoc visits. Busch, a 61-year-old physicist with a Ph.D., says his scientific background helps him strip problems to their core variables, a skill he applies to running the $256 billion German engineering giant whose market value has more than doubled since he became CEO in 2021.
His approach mirrors recent trends among CEOs such as Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon and Southwest Airlines’ Bob Jordan, who also criticize excessive meetings as productivity drains. These leaders argue that streamlined communication fosters agility and better use of executive time.
Why it matters
The story shows how top executives are reshaping corporate communication to boost efficiency and decision-making.
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