Hard to Fire · Chapter 6 · Guided worksheet

The Value Translation Worksheet

Convert actual accomplishments into language that decision-makers inside and outside the company can understand and verify.

Translate the work, not the ego. Use only outcomes you can document or explain. One accurate category is enough; there is no prize for making an honest accomplishment wear five hats.

Part A · Internal translation

Build five truthful value sentences

List five accomplishments from the past twelve months. Test each against the five-category lens, then write one sentence that starts with a verb and ends with a supportable outcome.

Accomplishment 1

Write it the way you would normally say it

Revenue and customer valueCost and marginRisk and qualitySpeed and capacityDecision and leadership value

Your value sentenceI read it aloud. It states my action and a supportable outcome without requiring internal context.

Accomplishment 2

Write it the way you would normally say it

Revenue and customer valueCost and marginRisk and qualitySpeed and capacityDecision and leadership value

Your value sentenceI read it aloud. It states my action and a supportable outcome without requiring internal context.

Accomplishment 3

Write it the way you would normally say it

Revenue and customer valueCost and marginRisk and qualitySpeed and capacityDecision and leadership value

Your value sentenceI read it aloud. It states my action and a supportable outcome without requiring internal context.

Accomplishment 4

Write it the way you would normally say it

Revenue and customer valueCost and marginRisk and qualitySpeed and capacityDecision and leadership value

Your value sentenceI read it aloud. It states my action and a supportable outcome without requiring internal context.

Accomplishment 5

Write it the way you would normally say it

Revenue and customer valueCost and marginRisk and qualitySpeed and capacityDecision and leadership value

Your value sentenceI read it aloud. It states my action and a supportable outcome without requiring internal context.

The five-category lens

Revenue and customer value: What revenue, relationship, retention, or customer outcome did this support?

Cost and margin: What money, time, rework, or management attention did this save?

Risk and quality: What error, compliance issue, failure, or quality problem did this prevent?

Speed and capacity: What cycle did this shorten, or what capacity did this free?

Decision and leadership value: What clearer decision, operational control, or leadership visibility did this enable?

Worked example

Before: “I worked on the quarterly reporting project for the FP&A team.”

After: “Redesigned the quarterly reporting workflow, reducing the close cycle by two days and giving the CFO margin visibility before the board meeting.”

If it sounds like a performance-review template, replace the adjective with the result.

Part B · External translation

Make the strongest three travel

Choose your three clearest accomplishments. Write an internal, external-market, and executive version of each, then identify what the translation burden tells you.

Portable accomplishment 1

Choose one of your strongest three

Choose one of your five accomplishments.

Internal versionExternal Market versionExecutive version

What does the comparison reveal?Portability gap

I said all three versions aloud. They sound natural, specific, and supportable.

Portable accomplishment 2

Choose one of your strongest three

Choose one of your five accomplishments.

Internal versionExternal Market versionExecutive version

What does the comparison reveal?Portability gap

I said all three versions aloud. They sound natural, specific, and supportable.

Portable accomplishment 3

Choose one of your strongest three

Choose one of your five accomplishments.

Internal versionExternal Market versionExecutive version

What does the comparison reveal?Portability gap

I said all three versions aloud. They sound natural, specific, and supportable.

Your translation set

0/5 internal sentences0/3 external sets

Where will you use the strongest sentence first?

Don't be weird about it

Never send an email titled “My Revenue Impact This Quarter.” Leadership has enough entertainment. Put one accurate sentence where a real person would naturally need it.

If the external version requires a complete rewrite, that does not make the work bad. It means the value is still trapped in employer-specific context. Translate it before you need the exit.