Maximise your written reports
Writing reports can take MANY HOURS of a senior leader’s time. This blog focuses on those which go to trustees, boards of directors and other forms of governance, often on a quarterly basis.
Here’s the most common complaints I hear
‘It took ages to do and they hadn’t even read it!’
‘All that effort and it was only 15 minutes of discussion.’
‘Hours of work and I only get to use it once”’
A few weeks ago I wrote about a similar theme in accountability as an opportunity, and I build upon it here using the bullet points above.
This blog covers five key points about how you can make the most of all your work in report writing.
1.Time for a reality check
There are two further, closely related, common issues to those listed above.
The first is ‘so much of what I do isn’t even covered in the report.’
The second is ‘I know where I am supposed to be focusing my time, but I never get the time to do the important work.’
If the ‘so much’ in the first point is really important work then either your job description needs to change, or the report format needs to change, or both. Writing your quarterly report can act as a useful milestone as to whether there is a strong relationship between what you are responsible for and what you actually do. If the questions asked of you are no longer relevant, then it does not serve any purpose to keep asking them.
If the second point is relevant to you, then it is even more important to resolve albeit potentially a tougher fix. Ultimately you will be held to account for your key responsibilities whether you spend much time on them or not. This may also reveal issues within the organisation itself; senior leaders in this position are rarely alone. Spending five minutes here will help as a starting point.
2. Who else needs to know?
If you are the only senior leader who reads your quarterly report there is a problem.
My view is that the answer to this question is every other senior leader. In fact I will go further than that, every other senior leader should be able to make some attempt at writing the report. There will be gaps and question marks for sure, but if the response to this question is a ‘rabbit in headlights’ expression I would query the level of collective responsibility in the organisation.
If reports are succinct and well-structured it should not take anyone very long to understand the key points and how they connect to their own responsibilities. Senior leaders need to be able to see the organisation through the eyes of others. Working in silos is deeply unproductive as the bigger picture gets ignored as everyone burrows away in their own limited way.
When did you last read your colleagues’ reports? You might be surprised at what you do not know.
Try writing each other’s report as an exercise - it will tell you a lot about everyone’s modus operandi.
3. Reports should be team efforts
Too often writing this kind of report becomes a solo activity. Those who report to you can contribute, and with an established format that becomes easier over time. If you are not in the habit of doing your direct reports’ jobs for them, why should that stop with this kind of activity? The fact that the audience is different is a reason to delegate, not to take it back.
To make this happen you need a clear timeline for when work should start and finish, along with when paperwork is sent to individuals. That might mean the process starts 4 to 6 weeks in advance, and can also lead to some information being a little out of date by the time it gets to the committee but I would argue that is a necessary sacrifice. The next report will capture whatever was missed this time.
And if it needs to be said, leave yourself enough time for proofreading, sending sections back where necessary and adding your own areas. Others might do the bulk of the work, but it still has your name on it.
4. Adapt your plans
Too often the meeting goes by and you go straight into work the next day and carry on in the relief that you have some time before the next one.
If you have a three month planning cycle this is the time to adjust or rewrite it. If not, then what are your key priorities until the next meeting? How will you remember them?
I would argue that this is not a task to be done in isolation. If, as I advocate two points above, you and your colleagues read all the reports then spend some time together reflecting on the previous quarter. The key strategic document for the organisation might need to change as well.
Agile organisations react quickly to trends and consider how their strategies might need to change. Effective senior leaders also seek the input of others in how their own areas should adapt.
5. Reports as a training opportunity
A report should never just be used once.
Take the final version and discuss it with your team after the meeting, and anyone else who would find it valuable.
Key questions include:
What do they see as the key issues?
What needs to be addressed for next time?
What were the points from the meeting which everyone needs to bear in mind, and where an improvement should be seen next time?
In the same way as senior leaders need to see the big picture, your own direct reports need to see the holistic picture presented in this report. Their own work will benefit from that context.
Furthermore, if you were ill, or a key member of your team, someone would have to step up.
Remember that:
Written reports can absorb many days of work. A single ‘performance’ at a meeting does not do this work justice.
It also means opportunities are missed to reflect upon changes which may need to be made, including for the bigger picture, these can save everyone a lot of time and effort.
How I can help you?
1. One to one coaching programmes for senior leaders who are swamped by their jobs so they can thrive in life. Click here to discover where you are on your journey from Frantic to Fulfilled? Just 5 minutes of your time and you will receive a full personalised report with guidance on your next steps!
2. Team coaching programmes - working IN a team is not the same as working AS a team and yet they are often treated as if they are the same. I help teams move from the former to the latter, and generate huge shifts in productivity and outcomes.
3. Talks, workshops and seminars - including topics relevant to the two areas above plus explaining Gen Z to Gen X.
