Global Visibility Blueprint™ — Make Your Results Visible

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Lesson 3 — From Calculation → Insight

Most analysts stop at calculation. But leaders make decisions based on insight — the meaning behind the numbers. This lesson teaches you the mental shift that moves your work from “informative” to truly influential.

1. The Analyst Equation: Number → Meaning

Every row in Excel can be reduced to a single line of truth:

Insight = What changed + Why it matters + What action should follow.

This is the backbone of all analyst storytelling.

2. The “One-Line Insight” Formula

Use this structure for every metric you analyze:

Context: What are we looking at?

Change: What moved up, down, or out of pattern?

Consequence: Why it matters to the business?

3. Before → After Example

BEFORE (Typical Analyst Output):

“Sales were 12,430. Last month was 10,200.”

AFTER (Insight-Driven Output):

“Sales grew +22% month-on-month, driven mainly by Region B recovering from last quarter’s slump — signalling that Q4 targets are now more realistic.”

Why this works:

• It explains the movement
• It provides cause or context
• It links to a decision or business implication

4. Insight Triggers — What Leaders Look For

Whenever you calculate a number, ask these questions:

• Is this normal?
• Is this expected?
• Is this good or bad?
• Is this sustainable?
• Who needs to know this?

These questions naturally pull out the insight behind the calculation.

5. Worksheet #3 — Find the Insight

Use this simple exercise:

1️⃣ Write any metric you calculated today.

2️⃣ Identify what changed (up/down/out of pattern).

3️⃣ Write one sentence explaining why it matters.

4️⃣ Add one leadership-friendly recommendation.

Practice this daily — it rewires your analyst brain for insight thinking.

Next Lesson → Turning Insight Into a Decision Story