“Adding value to the information” is an important mindset that helped me a lot in my beginning days as a professional. My early work consisted of reading tons of correspondence, happening with general contacts and the top leadership of my organization. I was tasked with connecting them to the right people within the system to take things forward. Most of the time - it was merely about noticing what important issues might be missed by others, setting up schedules of reminders so that critical issues were well attended. Had I done just that, no one would have questioned my work ethic, but it made me feel like a Wi-Fi router only delivering the information from one end to another.
I actively tried to work on the information coming my way, digging deeper into it, adding more context, prospects and risks associated with the way ahead before delivering the package to senior leaders. Many times, I was promptly told not to overthink it, that my additional input was not required (in which case I would subsequently do just the basic required from me), but also, many times my additional inputs were appreciated and proved pivotal for the organization and my own growth.
Adding value to information can come in many forms:
To give a simple example, let’s say you have a message coming in from a newspaper that is interested to interview your boss. Before running out to deliver this and asking for a schedule, it is good if you study the newspaper’s circulation (is it just a website that no one visits?), their news coverage style (do they produce parodies, crime reports, or regular journalistic articles), and even check the availability of others required in a potential interview meeting, before you approach the boss.
Not all roles will require a lot of creativity from a young professional, sometimes just following a standard procedure is enough. However, I believe one should make an effort to continually refine their unique approach within the workflow.
Radi
Dhaka
March 2025
I actively tried to work on the information coming my way, digging deeper into it, adding more context, prospects and risks associated with the way ahead before delivering the package to senior leaders. Many times, I was promptly told not to overthink it, that my additional input was not required (in which case I would subsequently do just the basic required from me), but also, many times my additional inputs were appreciated and proved pivotal for the organization and my own growth.
Adding value to information can come in many forms:
- Summarizing, Formatting (making it easier for the decision-makers to absorb it)
- Prioritizing (presenting the top priority information first, look-up the term “pyramid principle”)
- Adding context (a bit of research about a sender, or the parties or project involved, added to the message)
- Adding next steps (pre-emptively collecting information or contacts that would be required in the immediate next step when you deliver this message to the management)
To give a simple example, let’s say you have a message coming in from a newspaper that is interested to interview your boss. Before running out to deliver this and asking for a schedule, it is good if you study the newspaper’s circulation (is it just a website that no one visits?), their news coverage style (do they produce parodies, crime reports, or regular journalistic articles), and even check the availability of others required in a potential interview meeting, before you approach the boss.
Not all roles will require a lot of creativity from a young professional, sometimes just following a standard procedure is enough. However, I believe one should make an effort to continually refine their unique approach within the workflow.
Radi
Dhaka
March 2025
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| Radi from 2019/20 taken by Surobi Protyoee |
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