Best lesson I ever learnt: Reporting your Success

"In the initial years of my career, despite spending hours working on reports at the end of every month, I undermined their importance, especially from a professional advancement point of view.

Simply doing the work is not enough, you need to work equally hard to document what you’ve accomplished, and more importantly, to demonstrate to your management and/or clients, how your work has made a difference and added value to the business.

My reporting styles are always evolving. I’m constantly connecting with my peers within and outside the industry and across different regions, to understand the reporting frameworks they maintain.

Be curious about the metrics and data sources being used to measure results. Ask yourself what information would matter most to your executive leadership. Results aside, also focus on the context, verbiage, brevity, clarity, and the visual elements of your report. Evaluate the frequency of sharing your reports - timeliness is everything. And yes, numbers are important, but is there also any qualitative data you shouldn’t miss reporting on?

Open up a conversation with your stakeholders to understand how your report is being received. Are they happy with the depth? How can the data from your reports be used to elevate performance? Are you going the extra mile by providing recommendations based on the results?

And finally, remember that whilst the reports you create are to primarily serve the business, you should also use them as proof of your performance (especially when negotiating a promotion or raise) during mid-year/annual reviews with your manager."

Contributed by

Hanisha Lalwani, MEPRA Youth Board member and Senior Marketing & Communications Manager - Middle East and Africa at PageGroup