Increasing Your Value As An Analyst

Dear Import/Export Compliance Manager,

I’m currently working as an Import Compliance Analyst and enjoying it.  As our department grows, I would like to ensure that I am given more responsibility and, hopefully, pay raises.  My manager is not very forthcoming with what I should do exactly to make this happen so I was wondering what your advice would be.  Thank you!

Hardworking in Hiawatha

Dear Hardworking,

As you are likely aware, managers are not a monolithic bunch with the same wants and needs.  We all have very different personalities, temperaments, management-styles, quirks, weaknesses and visions of how we want the departments we are responsible for to operate.  Why else would employees usually have some trepidation when one manager is being replaced with another?  Therefore, the answers in this column, while likely representative of the majority of import/export compliance managers, might not apply to your particular manager (who hopefully the Import/Export Compliance Manager doesn’t know personally).  You will have to figure that one out on your own.

To get us on the same page, the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s definition of an Analyst is someone who is able to make process improvements by determining where a problem exists, finding a solution, implementing that solution, drawing up a process for others to follow and assessing the results.  This requires working with others, both inside and outside of the Import/Export Compliance Department.  The Analyst may have duties that require following existing processes but should have the ability to ‘kick (rear end) and take names’. 

It must also be pointed out that an Analyst is not a Specialist.  Although there is some overlap between strong Analysts and strong Specialists, a somewhat different temperament and some different skills are required. 

OK, back to Analysts.  There are many characteristics Ask The Trade Compliance Manager thinks are required for someone to be a strong Analyst.  However, rather than go into a long discourse extolling their virtues, answer the below questions and decide for yourself:

• Do you find, highlight and attempt to prevent major issues or do you wait for something bad to happen before jumping in to take care of it?

  
  

• Do you depend upon your manager to feed you projects or are you out and about ferreting out problems and inefficiencies on your own?

  
  

• Do you depend on your manager to be with you in every meeting you have on a project or are you capable of running things on your own, only involving the manager when an update needs to be provided or guidance is needed?

  
  

• Does your performance reflect positively upon the Import/Export Compliance Department as a whole, making non-import/export compliance people think that ‘yeesh, that stuff is crazy but it sounds like it’s in good hands’ or do people doubt your ability to keep the company in compliance?

  
  

• Do you ever utter the words ‘Well, this is how we’ve always done it’ or do you always act under the presumption that the status quo can be improved upon?

  
  

• Do you ever say ‘That’s not my area of responsibility’ or do you eagerly accept new responsibilities outside of your normal area of expertise?

  
  

• Is the Import/Export Compliance Manager afraid of the possibility that you will run into the CEO in the hallway and say something inappropriate?

  
  

• Do you have an extensive network of contacts to get you the information you need, both within the company and outside of it?

  
  

• Are your skills so good that your manager thinks it is a legitimate possibility that you could and would get a job someplace else that provides more responsibilities, a pay raise and/or a promotion or is the manager fairly confident you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon?

  
  

• Are you constantly seeking to improve yourself through obtaining new responsibilities, attending trainings and soaking up all of the literature and writings you can get your hands on or are you content with your current level of knowledge?

  
  

• Do you absolutely hate seeing inefficient, overly cumbersome or otherwise useless processes and want nothing more than to improve them or are you fine with such things?

The Import/Export Compliance Manager has thrown out the above questions as the way to be a great Analyst when managed by someone who attempts to empower their employees and is confident enough in their skills to let them handle things.  That is his preferred management style.  However, as you’re probably aware, not every manager is like this (and may get better results than the Import/Export Compliance Manager).  It is up to you to decide if you want to take the above advice, the decision being predicated on not only your manager but the limitations of your role and what you want to be doing two years from now.  Whatever choices you make, best of luck!