Boss told me my reports were garbage and here's what I fixed

Last month my manager pulled me aside after a meeting and said my weekly status reports read like a ransom note. She pointed out I was burying the important numbers in paragraphs no one reads. I switched to a bullet list with the 3 key metrics at the top and cut everything under 5 sentences. Took me 2 weeks to stop writing essays but now people actually respond to my updates. Has anyone else had to unlearn long-winded habits at work?

3 comments

3 Comments

jenny1981d ago

holly709 said "it hurts in the moment but that's kinda the point." That's true but there's another angle. The people who call you out are also putting themselves at risk. Your boss probably knew you might get defensive or quit or hold a grudge. When someone gives you honest feedback they're trusting you not to make their life harder for it. I've had guys on my crew tell me I was being a jerk about something and I realized they were doing me a solid even though it would've been easier to just stay quiet. So yeah it stings but the other person is taking a gamble on you too.

barbara_jenkins662d ago

Yeah, getting called out like that stings but it works...

holly7092d ago

and honestly @barbara_jenkins66 you're so right. getting called out made me take a hard look at myself and actually change. i used to get defensive when people pointed out my flaws but now i just sit with it for a minute before reacting. it hurts in the moment but that's kinda the point you know? like if it didn't sting a little i probably wouldn't learn anything from it. the way i see it now is that people who call me out are actually doing me a favor even if it doesn't feel like it at first.