Who This Helps
This is for the Junior Analyst who has done the hard work but feels stuck. You’ve crunched the numbers, but your recommendations keep getting tabled. The Executive Strategy Mission Pack is built for this exact moment—turning your solid analysis into a clear path for action.
Mini Case
Sam, a junior analyst, found a 15% efficiency drop in a key process. His first report was 20 pages of charts. Leadership said, ‘Interesting, we’ll circle back.’ He reframed it into a 3-slide brief: ‘We’re losing $8K a month. Here are 3 steps to fix it in 30 days.’ The plan was approved the same day.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Find the ‘So What’: For every chart, write one sentence explaining why a busy executive should care.
- Lead with the Headline: Start your next email or slide with your main recommendation, not the data journey.
- Connect to a Goal: Explicitly tie your finding to a company objective, like ‘This supports our goal to reduce customer wait time.’
- Offer Clear Options: Present 2-3 actionable next steps. Make it easy for them to say ‘yes’ to one.
- Schedule the Follow-Up: End your communication by proposing a 15-minute check-in next week to decide. Don’t leave it open-ended.
Avoid These Traps
- The Data Dump: Don’t show every calculation. Your stakeholders trust your math; they need your judgment.
- Jargon Jungle: Avoid technical terms. Say ‘customer drop-off point’ instead of ‘funnel attrition metric.’
- The Ambiguous Ask: Never end with ‘Let me know what you think.’ Always propose a specific decision or action.
- Waiting for Perfection: A good insight communicated now beats a perfect report delivered too late. Momentum is key.
Your Win by Friday
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Take one analysis you’ve been sitting on. Strip it down to one page with one headline number, one core insight, and three bullet-pointed recommendations. Send it to your key stakeholder before Friday. The goal isn’t a full rollout—it’s a simple ‘Yes, let’s explore step one.’ That’s how clean analysis turns into real execution. Go get that green light.