So You've Gotten Results. Now What?
Reporting isn't just another bureaucratic process. Targeting the right message to the right audience can have a huge positive impact on your career. Failing to do so can have the opposite effect. You could be the most successful telecom manager in the country, but if your manager and senior executives aren't acutely aware of it, your salary will be viewed as just another expense.
Here's a great example of how effective reporting can benefit you. The telecom department at a major bank is very proactive in reporting their results, and because of this, the senior executives consider telecom savings important enough that they include them in their annual report. Think about how this information is broadcast to every shareholder and employee, who can see the results from the telecom department's work. Aside from the pride that their department has in this acknowledgement, can you imagine how much easier salary negotiations would be, or how it can provide a boost when going after a promotion? How about getting funding for your next project, when you have a reputation for adding to the bottom line?
How do you most effectively report your results? Speak the language that your target audience wants to hear. Keep in mind that your perception of what is important is not necessarily the same as your boss' or the CFO's. For example, working with technology on a regular basis, you and I may sometimes focus too much on the bells and whistles that a new piece of equipment or software can do, because that is what we are most impressed with. However, your CFO's primary agenda at the time may be Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, and everything else, including technology and cost savings, may not be important enough to focus on.
Every executive has a shortlist of current objectives, or a few critical items that keeps him or her up at night. If you can figure out exactly what those are, and explain your results and your work in relation to those critical items, your message will be much better received.
The visibility of your achievements is key to your career success. Even if your current employer doesn't reward you for the outstanding work that you do, you can highlight your accomplishments on your resume next time you're job hunting. It's much easier to hire somebody who has an impressive, proven track record, over another person with multiple degrees or decades of experience.
Do you and your team find regular reporting to be a cumbersome chore? Next week, we'll look at some ways to save you time.
Sincerely,
Roger Yang
Author, What Great Telecom Managers Know
CEO, Avema Corporation
Back to Signup Page
Reporting isn't just another bureaucratic process. Targeting the right message to the right audience can have a huge positive impact on your career. Failing to do so can have the opposite effect. You could be the most successful telecom manager in the country, but if your manager and senior executives aren't acutely aware of it, your salary will be viewed as just another expense.
Here's a great example of how effective reporting can benefit you. The telecom department at a major bank is very proactive in reporting their results, and because of this, the senior executives consider telecom savings important enough that they include them in their annual report. Think about how this information is broadcast to every shareholder and employee, who can see the results from the telecom department's work. Aside from the pride that their department has in this acknowledgement, can you imagine how much easier salary negotiations would be, or how it can provide a boost when going after a promotion? How about getting funding for your next project, when you have a reputation for adding to the bottom line?
How do you most effectively report your results? Speak the language that your target audience wants to hear. Keep in mind that your perception of what is important is not necessarily the same as your boss' or the CFO's. For example, working with technology on a regular basis, you and I may sometimes focus too much on the bells and whistles that a new piece of equipment or software can do, because that is what we are most impressed with. However, your CFO's primary agenda at the time may be Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, and everything else, including technology and cost savings, may not be important enough to focus on.
Every executive has a shortlist of current objectives, or a few critical items that keeps him or her up at night. If you can figure out exactly what those are, and explain your results and your work in relation to those critical items, your message will be much better received.
The visibility of your achievements is key to your career success. Even if your current employer doesn't reward you for the outstanding work that you do, you can highlight your accomplishments on your resume next time you're job hunting. It's much easier to hire somebody who has an impressive, proven track record, over another person with multiple degrees or decades of experience.
Do you and your team find regular reporting to be a cumbersome chore? Next week, we'll look at some ways to save you time.
Sincerely,
Roger Yang
Author, What Great Telecom Managers Know
CEO, Avema Corporation
Back to Signup Page