How To Look Smarter Than You Are – The Power of Numbers

 

“When you have mastered numbers, you will in fact no longer be reading numbers, any more than you read words when reading books. You will be reading meanings.”

– W. E. B. Du Bois

 

You’re riding on the up bound elevator lost in your thoughts. Out of the blue, the door opens, and on steps the CEO. You exchange pleasant greetings, and then you freeze in terror when she looks at your name badge and asks, “So, how’s it going in the Widget department?”

 

“It’s going great!” you say.

 

The CEO looks wholly unimpressed when you get off at your floor.

 

Facepalm! “What was I thinking,” you wonder. “Why didn’t I have something better to say to the CEO than, “It’s going great!”

 

What kind of impression did you leave? Was it the one you wanted to?

 

Can you relate?

 

Often when I’m coaching someone in the job, I ask him or her to tell me about the organization in which they work. You know…how big it is, how many employees it has, what the total revenue is, how they fare against the competition.

 

And I’m always surprised when they can’t tell me. And if they can’t tell me, they certainly can’t tell the CEO when she steps into the elevator.

 

Maybe it’s because I lived so much of my life putting numbers on slide decks, or staring at Excel sheets. So it’s natural that when we work on either a job search, or job coaching, numbers are a big part of the conversation.

 

How do you wow the CEO on the elevator?
Talk about the numbers of your business.

 

This article is part 2 in a series about how you can develop skills that make you look smarter than you are. I know they work because I’ve used them liberally in my career. And I see what a difference they make.

 

And if you aren’t using these tools to amp up the smarts you DO have, now’s your chance.

 

In my last post on the topic of looking smarter, we talked about the power of speech.

 

Now, I want you to think about the power of numbers.

 

It’s all about the numbers.

 

No matter what type of organization you are in, it runs on numbers.

 

Even non-profits care about their donor base, their funding, their grants, the number of clients they serve, the percent of donations directed to services.

 

Families and households know the financial impact of what comes in in compensation, and what goes out when paying the bills.

 

At the end of the day every organization cares about how much is coming in, and how much is going out.

 

If you aspire to advance in your career, or want to develop a skill that will serve you well no matter where you work, learn to speak in numbers.

 

Why you should

 

You may be thinking, “Oh, I’m not good with numbers.” Or “Numbers aren’t a big part of my job” or “I’m not in finance, I don’t need to know that.” I disagree.

 

So think of it from another way.

 

As an employee of any business you are being paid money by the organization. I can assure you that organization is acutely aware of how much they pay you in total comp and benefits; and what they are getting for it.

 

Shouldn’t you know that too?

 

Why would you not be as acutely aware of the role you play in the organization, and how you contribute to it, in a powerfully quantifiable way?
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Do you know these 5 sets of numbers about your job?

 

As you start thinking about the organization you work in, I suggest looking at the numbers as I’ve described them below. You’ll probably come up with others that are pertinent to your own job, organization, and market.

 

Start looking for ways to bring them into conversation, whether it’s around the water cooler, or in a meeting. Practice making these numbers, and others that matter, part of your professional dialect.

 

Then let me know what you notice, about how you view yourself, and how others view you.

 

#1: Your organization

• The annual revenue or operating budget
• The year to date revenue or operating budget
• How many employees it has
• How many countries or how many locations it has
• How many divisions it has
• What percent of revenue each of those divisions contributes
• The percent difference in performance for this year over last year

 

#2: Your department

• How many employees does it have?
• What’s the total dollar size of what its responsible for? For example, if it’s revenue generating, what’s the total revenue it produces? If it’s expense controlling, what is the percent of expense it’s responsible for?
• What is the percent of the total organization’s mission it’s responsible for?
• What is the performance this year compared to last?

 

#3: Your manager

• What is the scope of your manager’s responsibility in dollars and cents?
• How many people are on his or her team?
• What is the scope of responsibility of the manager he or she reports to?
• What are the three biggest priorities your manager is working on, and how can you quantify their benefit or impact to the organization?

 

#4: You

• What is the scope of your responsibility in dollars and cents?
• What is the measure of the work you do, and what are the current state, expected annual state, and difference from year prior?
• What are the three biggest priorities you are working on, and how can you quantify their benefit or impact to the organization?

 

#5: The market

• What is the size of the total market you are in?
• What is your organization’s share of that market?
• Is that market growing or shrinking vs. last year?

 

OK, now let’s go back to our opening scene.

 

You’re riding on the upbound elevator lost in your thoughts. Out of the blue, the door opens, and on steps the CEO. You exchange pleasant greetings, and then she looks at your name badge and asks you, “So, how’s it going in the Widget department?”

 

“It’s going great!” you say.

 

“We’re up 35% year over year in shipments, and we’re about to go head to head with our biggest rival for market share for a major customer. I know we’re a small fraction of the total company revenue, but we have 3 big projects that we plan will increase our total share of the business over the next 3 years. It’s exciting to see how we can make a bigger contribution.”

 

The CEO looks wholly engaged when you get off at your floor, clearly getting a much more competent conversation than she was expecting.

 

When you’re in meetings, conversations — even interviews — being able to use these numbers in the scope of conversation add credibility and gravitas to your conversations.

 

And you’ll be prepared if the CEO ever steps into the elevator with you and wants to know how it’s going!

 

Leave me a comment below and let me know what action you’re going to take to get better at this skill and look smarter in your career. I’d love to hear your stories, and share them with others!

 

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