In an era of instant communication, it’s very hard to wait to press “send.”
Often as a lawyer, a client asks you to look at a letter. You may suggest edits, you may suggest waiting a bit and discussing overall strategy.
So it’s almost refreshing when a corporate communication goes out quickly, unvarnished and passionate.
Exhibit A would be an open letter from Cleveland Cavaliers’ majority owner Dan Gilbert last night posted on nba.com, on the departure of LeBron James.
Clearly, an atypical move from an employer right after an employee leaves, when Mr. Gilbert said to the fans:
There is a lot of backstory to this, some of which is now coming out (Dan Gilbert’s side; you can expect LeBron’s camp to retaliate in due course. No sign of wise media counsel there, to be sure.)
In the days of paper letters and real mail, you could wait, throw a draft in your top desk drawer, and read it in the morning.
These days, it’s much harder. People (and the press) want a response now. Using the “recall” feature in Outlook is seen by recipients as Read this Quickly. And when you release something online, there is no “recall.”
Ever.
