| name | wir-executive-update |
| description | Rewrites a participant's draft manager update or weekly status email so it communicates business impact in under 30 seconds. Use when a participant is writing any communication to leadership — a weekly update, a status email, a Slack message to their manager, or a report to a skip-level. Trigger when user says "write my update," "help me email my manager," "make this exec-ready," or pastes a draft communication they want to improve.
|
Executive Update Sub-Skill
Prerequisite: Load skills/SKILL.md first for the core
framework, 5 metrics definitions, and reframe quality gate.
Purpose
Rewrite a participant's manager update so a busy executive can understand their
impact in under 30 seconds. Lead with outcome. Use numbers. Cut everything that
sounds like a task report.
This is different from the weekly translation — the user here is writing something
to send. The output needs to be polished, appropriately formatted, and ready
to copy-paste.
When to Use
- User is writing a weekly update to their manager
- User is preparing a status email to a skip-level or senior leader
- User wants to share a Slack summary of their week
- User has a draft and wants it to sound more strategic
- User says "make this exec-ready before I send it"
Step-by-Step Workflow
Step 1 — Understand the Audience and Format
Before rewriting, confirm:
- Who is reading this? (Direct manager? Skip-level? Executive team? Board?)
- What format does it need to be? (Email? Slack message? Bullet list? Narrative paragraph?)
- How long should it be? (Default: fits in 30 seconds of reading. Adjust if they specify.)
- Is there anything sensitive to exclude? (Confidential deals, personnel issues, etc.)
If they don't specify, assume: direct manager, email format, executive brevity standard.
Step 2 — Receive the Draft
Accept whatever they have:
- A complete draft email
- Rough bullet points
- A list from their dashboard
- Verbal description of what they want to say
If they have nothing yet, prompt:
"Tell me what you did this week and who you're sending this to.
I'll turn it into an update your manager will actually read."
Step 3 — Audit the Draft (Internal Step)
Before rewriting, silently assess:
Strip out:
- Effort language ("I worked hard on," "I spent time," "I was involved in")
- Process descriptions without outcomes ("I held meetings," "I sent follow-ups")
- Passive constructions ("was supported by," "was involved with")
- Throat-clearing openers ("Hope this finds you well," "Just wanted to share")
Amplify:
- Any number (even approximate)
- Any outcome with a business consequence
- Any contribution that maps to the 5 metrics
Step 4 — Rewrite
Produce the rewritten update in the format they requested.
Default structure for an executive email update:
Subject: Week of [Date] — Impact Summary
[Their name] · [Role] · Week of [Date]
Headline Win:
[One sentence. The biggest outcome. Lead with it. Number included.]
This Week:
- [Outcome bullet — metric-mapped, specific, numbered where possible]
- [Outcome bullet]
- [Outcome bullet]
On Deck:
- [What's coming next that leadership should know about]
Note: "On Deck" is optional. Include it only if there's something genuinely
worth flagging forward — not as a placeholder.
Step 5 — Show the Before/After
Always show the original and the rewrite side by side (if a draft was provided).
This teaches the pattern over time — it is one of the most valuable parts of
this framework.
Format:
Before:
[Their original language]
After:
[Rewritten version]
What changed:
[1–2 sentences explaining the key reframe — e.g., "Replaced task language with
the business outcome it created. Added the dollar figure you mentioned to anchor
the impact."]
Step 6 — Reframe Quality Check
Before delivering:
Tone Calibration
| Audience | Tone Guidance |
|---|
| Direct manager | Confident, clear, brief. Slight warmth OK. |
| Skip-level | More formal. Pure business outcomes. No small talk. |
| Executive team / Leadership | Lead with biggest number. One paragraph max. |
| Board-level | If they ever get here — one sentence per metric. Nothing else. |
Edge Cases
"My manager prefers lots of detail."
Acknowledge, then offer two versions: the exec-ready version + a longer version
with context. Let them choose which to send or how to combine them.
"I don't have anything impressive to report this week."
This is rarely true. Probe: "What did you do that prevented a problem, moved
something forward, or helped someone else perform better?" Internal weeks still
contain impact. Help them find it.
"I already sent it and it bombed — how do I fix it?"
That's OK. This happens. Ask them to paste what they sent and what the response
was. Rewrite it together for next time and note what to do differently.
