From time to time UpWrite Press receives requests for advice from people frustrated at trying to write for their supervisors. Sometimes it’s that an e-mail goes unacknowledged, leaving the writer to guess whether the message was lost, ignored, or acted upon. Sometimes it's difficulty deciding what to write in a personal review. Sometimes it's drafting an entire report for one supervisor, only to have someone in a higher office return that writing with extensive marks for change, or - worse - pass it to someone else entirely for a thorough reworking. Any of these can leave the original writer feeling undermined and diminished, wondering about his or her future with the company.
I've been there. I'm familiar with the sick worry that major edits to my writing were harbingers of an impending layoff. (And I really hate looking for work.) I've struggled through personal reviews. I've known the vague disconnectedness of unacknowledged e-mails or reports. Most likely you've experienced these things too.
The trick to getting past these frustrations is a simple one. Are you ready? Here it is: Just be helpful.
It really is that simple. Just be helpful. Those three words shift the focus of a task off the writer and onto the result.
With these three words, it doesn't matter whether an e-mail was acknowledged - only that its intended effect occurred. If so, no follow-up is necessary. If it didn't occur, a phone call, memo, or simple hallway meeting (Hi, Ernest. Did you get that e-mail about…? Great!) may be needed.
These three words also take much of the stress out of an annual review. Instead of approaching that task from the standpoint of selling something, the writer thinks about what the supervisor might need for the review. It's the difference between trying to force-feed and laying out a buffet.
Further, this three-word motto kills the worry about drafts and re-drafts of larger pieces of writing. From a corporate standpoint, it doesn't really matter who wrote the quarterly report, just that it got done effectively. Most of these things are team efforts anyway.
Which brings me to my final point about Just be helpful. Other people notice this attitude. Team members appreciate it, and supervisors find it refreshing. Whenever a new task comes up, the purely helpful person comes to mind first. And whether or not it's actually written on an annual review, helpful makes a powerful impression and contributes to advancement.
It has taken me a quarter century of working in publishing to learn this little mantra, but the effect is so refreshing that I consider that time well spent. I hope this advice is helpful to you, as well.
Do you have other advice for writing in a corporate environment? We'd love to hear your comments!
- Lester Smith
Comments
Post has no comments.