Every job requires two reports: what you actually do and how you tell leaders what you do.

We all have a day-to-day job that we do. It’s composed of tasks, activities, communication, thinking, doing, etc. Sometimes it’s boring, sometimes it’s exciting. Most days are the same. We try to do our best against the objectives that we have. This is true no matter what level you are within a given organization.

One of the key things we all do is describe what we do to others. The description you give should be different depending on the audience. If I’m talking to a peer in finance then I may be “the person who sends you the invoice approvals.” But if I am communicating the same role to someone in leadership it would be better to say “I monitor our spend and help save money on our current work.” It’s the same job, but the two parties care about different aspects of it.

How your audience hears your story is as important as the work you do. If no one understands that the work you do is important, they aren’t going to see it as important.