Throwback Thursday: Always on Offense

I know you're all dying to know how I'm doing in my work travels across the border. While I haven't seen much of the city and can't tell you much about what there is to do around here, I'd like to give you some insight into my work-life and all the crazy things that seem like a pain for anyone but can be a thrill to me.

My official job code is a 'business analyst', but it's so much more than that. Analyst and number cruncher one moment, charismatic and confident speaker the next. I go from cross eyed over spreadsheets to storytelling and influencing at a moment's notice.

As an analyst, a big part of my job is running reports and presenting information on a daily and consistent schedule, one that demands quick action and often needed before anyone else can begin their day's work. The other side of the reports that I run are fly-by or special requests from people much higher than me in pay grade and status. For them I'm expected to drop everything and dish the numbers on a beautiful garnished platter, along with the story behind all of the details that I'm summarizing at the highest level.

Does that sound terrifying or stressful to you?

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Something that makes me successful in my job and has ultimately saved me time and time again is preparing myself for the follow up questions that I know I'll get. Rather than doing the minimum to satisfy the request, I do my best to look at it the same way my audience will and begin to think of other avenues I can explore before preparing a story behind the numbers.

While having the great power and responsibility to pull the information, I can't drag these higher up's down into the swampy data weeds with me. I have to give them a clear breakdown at a very high level, calling out exceptions, making it visually pleasing and of course presenting it in a way that they can either print and bring into a meeting or that they can click the 'forward' button and begin to delegate action.

In addition, thanks to the digital age where iPhones and iPads are regulars at meetings, I also have be sensitive to the time and the possible location of the report's audience. Essentially this means that anything I send must be iPhone ready for people to review with their idle hands when they're trying to look busy in a meeting or are no longer interested in the topic. I can't even tell you how many times making something iPhone ready has saved me from re-explaining something to people.

Thinking one step ahead of the game, being prepared and doing my homework aren't foreign to me and my extensive time playing sports growing up is a key reason I possess these critical skills.

Today's Throwback Thursday is brought to you by a young woman who always read the game one pitch ahead and always will.