Infamous Email Writers Aren't Always Killing Their Careers After All

By JARED SANDBER
It's the latest entry in the annals of !ri"ge !urning# After two inter$iews in January% Dianna A!"ala
emaile" Will Korman &e!' ( that his )o! offer *woul" neither fulfill me nor su++ort the lifestyle I
am li$ing'* She followe" u+ with a $oi,email &e!' - saying mu,h the same thing'
.r' Korman% who ha" alrea"y or"ere" .s' A!"ala's !usiness ,ar"s an" !elie$e" she ha" agree"
on a start "ate% wasn't ha++y' Certainly% he thought% her re)e,tion warrante" more than an email an"
a Sun"ay night $oi,email' *It sma,/s of immaturity an" is 0uite un+rofessional%* he wrote !a,/ to
her' *I am e1tremely "isa++ointe" in the way this +laye" out'* But he "i" a""% *I sin,erely wish
you the !est of lu,/ in your future en"ea$ors'*
Re+lie" .s' A!"ala% a 234year4ol" law s,hool gra"uate# *A real lawyer woul" ha$e +ut the
,ontra,t into writing an" not e1er,ise" any su,h relian,e until he "i" so'*
.r' Korman# *Than/ you for the refresher ,ourse on ,ontra,ts5helli+6 Do you really want to start
7annoying8 more e1+erien,e" lawyers at this early stage of your ,areer9*
.s' A!"ala# *!la !la !la'*
We all /now what ha++ens when someone ,ommits a +arti,ularly em!arrassing gaffe in a +ri$ate
email ,on$ersation# The message gets forwar"e"% with ea,h re,i+ient instru,ting the ne1t to *rea"
from the !ottom u+'* In"ee"% this testy e1,hange s/i++e" off ser$ers as far away as China with a
su!)e,t line attesting to its )ourney# *Su!)e,t# &w"# &W# &W# :awyers Beha$ing Ba"ly'* ;eo+le
also a""e" ,omments% su,h as *reat lesson here5helli+6 on email an" how to ruin your ,areer'*
But not so fast' Certainly one ,oul" turn this into ,autionary tale No' <%(3= a!out what not to
,ommit to +ri$ate email' But if you ha$en't learne" that lesson yet% you ha$en't !een +aying
attention 44 or% more li/ely% you "on't ,are that mu,h' *I'm more worrie" a!out whether I'$e left my
hair iron on than this little email e1,hange%* .s' A!"ala tol" me o$er the +hone'
These "ays% r5ea,ute6sum5ea,ute6 !uil"ing ,an !e less a!out +reser$ing a re+utation than a!out
a,0uiring one in the first +la,e' Just as/ >marosa .anigault4Stallworth% the *A++renti,e*
,ontestant who famously sai"% *I'm going to ,rush my ,om+etition% an" I'm going to en)oy "oing
it'* She has +arlaye" her !a,/sta!!ing into a tele$ision ,areer an" s+ea/ing engagements' *Who
/new that !eing soo !a" ,oul" !e soo goo"??@@%* the show's We! site 0uotes her as saying'
*I woul"n't )um+ to the ,on,lusion that this /in" of !eha$ior is naturally rewar"e"%* ,autions ;aul
Argenti% +rofessor of ,or+orate ,ommuni,ation at Dartmouth's Tu,/ S,hool of Business' *But it
"oes lea" to su,,ess in some realms'* An" those realms ,an in,lu"e the legal +rofession% sales
teams% tra"ing floors% entre+reneurial en"ea$ors 44 in other wor"s% the ,orners of the !usiness
worl" where unmitigate" gall ,an !e more mar/eta!le than galling' *This ,oul" !e great for 7.s'
A!"ala's8 ,areer if you thin/ a!out it%* he says'
That's !e,ause in the rough an" tum!le of !usiness% !a" !eha$ior is sometimes a"mire"% an" goo"
!eha$ior isn't ne,essarily rewar"e"' Ta/e% for e1am+le% ,or+orate whistle!lowers% who "on't
e1a,tly get +romote" for their efforts an" often ha$e to turn to the law to +rote,t themsel$es% ;rof'
Argenti says'
.s' A!"ala also has legal +re,e"ent on her si"e' In 2AA(% Jonas Blan/% a summer asso,iate% sent an
email in whi,h he "es,ri!e" his )o! at S/a""en% Ar+s% Slate% .eagher 5 &lom' *I'm !usy "oing
)a,/%* he wrote' *Went to a ni,e 2hr sushi lun,h to"ay at Sushi Ben' Ni,e +la,e' S+ent the rest of
the "ay ty+ing emails an" 7ga!!ing8 with +eo+le'*
But .r' Blan/ ina"$ertently sent the missi$e to a grou+ of 3A ,olleagues% a!out half of whom
were +artners at the law firm' Nee"less to say% at least one of the re,i+ients fli,/e" the email into
the wi"er ether' .r' Blan/ su!se0uently res+on"e" with a torture" a+ology# *I am thoroughly an"
utterly ashame" an" em!arrasse" not only !y my !eha$ior !ut !y the im+li,it refle,tion su,h
!eha$ior ,oul" ha$e on the firm'*
Des+ite that e+iso"e% .r' Blan/ got a full4time +osition at S/a""en an" still wor/s there to"ay%
though he is less +u!li,ly ,ommuni,ati$e than !efore# *I really ,an't ,omment on it in any way%*
he sai" last wee/' A""e" Carol S+rague% "ire,tor of attorney hiring at S/a""en# *Ce re,ogniDe"
that he ha" ma"e a mista/e an" then really wor/e" har" all summer an" +ro$e" that he was an
intelligent% har"4wor/ing +erson'*
As for .s' A!"ala% she says a mea ,ul+a *will ne$er ha++en'* She's li$ing on fun"s +ro$i"e" !y
her father an" has rente" offi,e s+a,e for her own +ra,ti,e' *I'$e ne$er !een the ty+e to wor/ un"er
someone%* she says'
An" .r' Korman9 Ce ,alls .s' A!"ala's !eha$ior *+re+osterous* !ut still ,re"its her with ha$ing
high energy an" *s+un/'* An" "es+ite all the ,hatter a!out how the in,i"ent will hurt her% he says%
*I "on't thin/ that anything that's ha++ene" throws an o!sta,le in her +ath'*
In fa,t% that's something the two almost agree on' *It really isn't going to affe,t my ,areer%* says
.s' A!"ala% *an" if it "oes% it's +ro!a!ly for the !etter'*