Freshmen in workplace are prone to being questioned from supervisors: Don’t you know how to report? OS…Why can’t I just report after completion?
Good book sharing 👉 First-class employees understand the art of upward management: 30 super reporting skills to help you, ask the key points, do it well, and avoid stepping on thunder!
When entering the workplace, it was difficult to understand at the beginning, why the supervisor kept asking me about my progress all day long even if I had successfully completed it on time, and sometimes I would being asked about over 3 times a day. I often felt depressed and thought, “I would report up when encountering a problem! But why should I report at any time if the task would be done soon? It seemed that I wasn’t careful, efficient, and reassured enough.”
It wasn’t until I thought that I shouldn’t worry the supervisor all the time, I found this book, and after reading, I finally realized it! One of the supervisors’ responsibilities is to keep track of the progress of the subordinates, because when the task doesn’t go smoothly, the supervisor must take the responsibility to solve problems; if the subordinates fail to report the situation in the process, the supervisors’ judgment might be incorrect and give the wrong instructions. In this case, the problem will occur and even be difficult to salvage.
Coincidentally, when chatting with the supervisor of another company a while ago, he mentioned that his subordinate who was just after graduation didn’t know how to report back and wouldn’t focus on the key points when reporting progress; “did he intend to take burden of it himself if something went wrong?” After listening to his criticism, I smiled and responded, “it’s the common problem of many fresh people in workplace! Because when I was a student, I didn’t have to report (reading) progress to teachers at any time.” Hence, I recommended this book for his subordinate to read, it will definitely help and change! The following is the key points of this book~
The Art of Upward Management <Reporting Work>
- Reporting is a manifestation of the “Two-Eight Rule”: Reporting only accounts for 20% of an employee’s total work, but this 20% of reporting determines 80% of work efficiency and work results.
5 things that must be proactively reported：
- Progress (the progress goes smoothly / the progress isn’t smooth and needs to be postponed)
- Demand (requirement of material and manpower)
- Performance (up to standard / not up to stand
- Difficulties, Problems, and Unexpected situations
- Suggestions & Improvement plans
9 steps to clarify reporting ideas：
- Determine the character
- Determine the content
- Determine the key point
- Determine the logic
- Determine the method
- Determine the occasion
- Determine the time
- Determine the status
- Determine the likelihood of being accepted
Among the above (2), 3 types of reporting models to determine the content
- 3W：Why (the cause of the incident) → What (what do we need) → How (how to achieve the goal)
- 5W1H：What (what happened) → Why (the cause of the incident) → When → Where → Who → How (the way or process of solution)
- STAR：Situation (explain the situation) → Task (task to be completed) → Action (what action to take) → Result (what effect does the action have)
How to prevent the subconscious from leading communication？
- Self-inspection awareness：In the reporting process, stay vigilant at any time “whether I go off the topic”.
- Sequence awareness：The report presents sequence, which makes the logical expression smooth.
- Purpose awareness：Emphasize “urgent, important, closely related to the interests of supervisors, and the supervisors’ concern”.
- Deconstruction awareness：Deconstruct the content of reporting and divide it into one, two, three part.
3-sentence summary, let the supervisor understand what you want in seconds
- 3-point logic：Summarize first → Describe separately → Summarize again at the end.
- Value description logic：Report income, value, and quoted data. Don’t report irrelevant details.
- Report the results, don’t deliberately report the process.
- Organize thoughts according to time logic：Past → Present → Future.
The requirements when listening to the supervisor：
- Sit upright and make eye contact.
- Concentrate and listen attentively.
- Nod and smile, and respond.
- Be polite and don’t interrupt.
- Control emotions when criticized by the supervisor.
- After understanding it, repeat the key points. So the supervisor will no longer ask “Do you get it?”
Don’t bury the head and work hard to die. Active, accurate, and punctual reporting is the kingly way and respect for the supervisor.
According to the supervisor’s preference, adjust the frequency and content of the report.
When do I need to take the initiative to report?
- When finishing work
- Work in progress
- When work may be delayed
- When there’s a problem at work
- When work goes well
Think about what the supervisor might ask before reporting.
When reporting work, develop the habit of first saying the conclusion and then explaining the process, because the supervisor is most concerned about the result.
Timely reporting can make the supervisor have a sense of trust in you.
Reporting taboos
- Psychological traps of hiding bad news:
a. This incident has happened before and is easy to solve.
b. The supervisor said that if there’s nothing important, don’t bother him.
c. I know everything.
d. I may resolve this matter.
e. The supervisor should know about this.
f. I don’t have to report in full.
- Don’t make decisions for the supervisor offside (is the supervisor controlling or non-interferencing?)
- Don’t go beyond authority of reporting.
Don’t just ask how to do, the competent subordinates prepare a feasible plan.
Complete communication process：Send messages → Receive messages → Feedback messages.
Building a good relationship with colleagues is conducive to cross-department communication.
Management is not just top-down. Taking the initiative to lead one’s own work is the first step in upward management.
Summary table of reporting work：
- KPI personal performance review
- Comprehensive performance review
- Mistakes & lessons learned at work
- Future work plan (Plan → Do → Check → Act)
- Briefly analyze the problem, set the direction, show the determination & plan, and also explain the improvement measures for the future.
Reflections：
- Do you know what your supervisor expects and comments on you?
- Is the supervisor affirmative of your communication work?
- Do you know the strengths and weaknesses of the supervisor?
- What can you do to help your supervisor at work and solve the problems?
- In the process of reporting work and delivering messages, can you ensure that you will not be misunderstood by your supervisor?
Are you a taciturn person in the eyes of your supervisor, or do you dare to speak out? 👉You should communicate proactively! Don’t turn a blind eye to your inaction in communication.
When you need a supervisor to take action, make a clear request!
Take the initiative to provide your supervisor with more information, become a problem-solver, and have the courage to speak out the value of your ideas & solutions.
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