If you’re looking for another attribute to separate you from the masses, returning and reporting is the answer.
Returning and reporting is a simple communication principle that increases productivity by leaps and bounds. It’s unfortunate that most people don’t follow it because this simple behavior would increase their indispensability.
Fortunately for you though, you’re going to start today, right?
In most businesses or organizations the leaders give out instructions and don’t hear back from their team until they ask for a report. Is this a problem? No, not really, it seems to work just fine for most businesses, but it slows down productivity for everyone on the team. And you might be okay with that, and your boss might be okay with that too. In fact, based on personal observation I’d guess 90% of today’s employees and bosses are okay with that.
And that is why you shouldn’t be.
To return and report shows that you are a responsible person, capable of handling tasks and challenges. It’s a display of foresight and willingness to contribute. Your manager perceives it as going the extra mile, working hard, and being proactive. It also lightens your manager’s load by relieving the burden of small management tasks which drain valuable time.
Find a balance as you implement returning and reporting into your work habits; you don’t want to return and report every 10 minutes or half an hour. Start with milestones and completions and experiment from there.
