Always Close the Loop - Emagineer Weekly Digest #2

As our Emagineer team surpasses 70 members, I’ve recognized the growing need to communicate, teach, and collaborate more closely with my team on our journey from good to great. These emails are collected here for record keeping and will serve as a valuable reference for both current and future team members.

from: shahzil amin
to: emagineer team
date: monday january 13th, 2025 - 3:18am
subject: always close the loop - emagineer weekly digest #2
body:

Always Close the Loop. Always.

It might just be my personal pet peeve, but open loops drive me insane. In communication - whether it’s work or life - the first art is clarity, and the second, equally crucial art, is this: close the damn loop.

Why? Because closing the loop isn’t just about being polite or professional. It’s about embodying three traits that are universally respected and essential for success:

• You’re proactive – You don’t let things linger.

• You care – You respect other people’s time.

• You follow through – You’re dependable and accountable.

Why It Matters (In Life and Work)

Look at the people you admire - those who seem to have life figured out, the ones you rely on and trust. I’ll bet they always close the loop. Because no matter how “busy” they are (and everyone is busy), they never let that get in the way of communicating where things stand.

Closing the loop signals ownership and respect, and it’s a habit that ripples into every area of your life. At work, it builds trust with colleagues and clients. At home, it reassures loved ones and strengthens relationships. The opposite? Open loops breed frustration, uncertainty, and inefficiency.

The Simple Act of Closing the Loop

This doesn't have to be difficult.

Example: You get an email or message with a request. Maybe you’re buried in work, or maybe you don’t have the answer yet. That’s fine - you don’t need to solve it immediately. But you do need to acknowledge it. A quick reply like:

“Got it. What’s the priority? When do you need this by?”

Boom. Loop closed.

This quick and efficient reply does a few things:

• It buys you time to assess and prioritize.

• It shows the other person they’re not being ignored.

• It puts the ball back in their court to clarify what they actually need.

Silence is the enemy of execution. Silence leaves people guessing. And in a world where execution and speed are everything, guessing is a luxury no one has time for. Don't be the person that doesn't respond or follow through, nobody respects or appreciates those traits in any person.

The Ripple Effect of Closed Loops

When you close the loop, you manage expectations - and that’s half the battle in any interaction. Even better? You create a reputation for being someone who doesn’t drop the ball, and trust me, that reputation compounds. It builds opportunities, strengthens relationships, and makes you someone people want to work with or rely on.

The New Emagineer Expectation

Starting now, this is the expectation at Emagineer: Always close the loop. Every email, every task, every project update - it’s on you to ensure clarity and follow-through. Open loops don’t just slow you down; they slow down the entire organization.

Let’s make closing the loop part of our DNA. It’s how we’ll continue to innovate, execute, and grow as a team, fast.