How to Effectively Respond to 'What Did You Accomplish Last Week?'...

...While Protecting Objectives, Accountability, and Sensitive Information

In both public and private sectors, employees often receive requests from leadership or other stakeholders asking, "What did you accomplish last week?" While this can be an effective way to gauge progress, it also presents challenges related to transparency, alignment with organizational objectives, and, in some cases, the handling of sensitive or classified information. For recipients of such requests, it is crucial to respond in a way that highlights accomplishments, ensures alignment with organizational goals, and protects the integrity of sensitive data.

1. Ensure Alignment with Organizational Objectives

The first step in responding to a "What did you accomplish last week?" request is to ensure that your accomplishments are aligned with the broader organizational or leadership objectives. In the private sector, this might mean demonstrating progress toward strategic initiatives, while in the public sector, particularly in government agencies, it could involve aligning your response with the mission, goals, and public service requirements set forth by leadership.

Tips for alignment:

• Review the leadership objectives or key performance indicators (KPIs) that have been cascaded down to your role and department.
• Reference specific projects, tasks, or results that align with these objectives to demonstrate your contribution to the overall mission.
• Use a framework like the Balanced Scorecard or the SMART goals framework to ensure your responses reflect measurable outcomes tied to organizational priorities.

2. Be Transparent about Accountability

Accountability is essential for effective organizational performance. When responding to this type of request, it is important to clearly convey your role and responsibilities in achieving the objectives. Additionally, be transparent about any challenges faced and how they were addressed.

Tips for transparency:

• Acknowledge your individual contributions and explain how they fit into team and organizational outcomes.
• If your progress was impacted by external factors (e.g., delays, resource constraints), clearly communicate these challenges and your strategies to overcome them.
• Be honest about what was accomplished versus what was delayed or not achieved, ensuring there’s a clear narrative on progress and future plans.

3. Addressing Risks and Sensitive Information

In environments like the Federal Government or organizations with access to sensitive data, it’s crucial to ensure that responses do not inadvertently expose confidential, classified, or otherwise restricted information. Leadership must ensure that any responses align with internal controls and adhere to regulations, such as those outlined by COSO or relevant data security policies.

Tips for managing risks:

• Ensure that responses do not disclose sensitive information unless authorized. If in doubt, consult with appropriate legal or compliance teams before sharing certain details.
• Focus on sharing results and accomplishments in a way that does not compromise operational security, such as discussing outcomes without delving into sensitive methodologies or specific confidential data.
• When appropriate, clarify that certain details are protected or restricted due to classification, confidentiality, or security concerns, and offer to discuss those topics in a more secure or controlled setting.

4. Set the Right Tone from the Top

From a management perspective, it is essential that leadership sets a tone of clear communication, objective alignment, and risk management. Leaders should communicate expectations for how employees should frame their responses to such requests and the importance of safeguarding sensitive information.

Tips for leadership:

• Provide employees with clear guidelines on what types of accomplishments to report, ensuring they understand the organizational objectives and the importance of aligning their responses.
• Establish clear procedures for escalating sensitive information or potential risks, including guidance on how to flag any concerns that might arise when responding to such requests.
• Encourage a culture of openness while maintaining the necessary boundaries around information security and confidentiality.

5. Constructing Your Response

When constructing your response, balance the need for transparency with the imperative to protect sensitive information. Here’s how you can structure your reply:

• Opening: Briefly acknowledge the request and summarize your key achievements aligned with your role’s objectives.
• Body: Provide detailed but high-level summaries of key accomplishments, showing how they align with leadership goals. Address any challenges encountered and outline solutions, ensuring that sensitive details are omitted or appropriately redacted.
• Conclusion: Reinforce your commitment to organizational objectives, offer further clarification if needed (in a secure environment), and indicate your focus for the upcoming period.

6. Leveraging Technology for Better Reporting

In today’s environment, utilizing software tools that streamline reporting and ensure compliance with confidentiality requirements can be incredibly helpful. Solutions such as secure dashboards, project management tools, and automated reporting systems can assist employees in responding efficiently while ensuring sensitive data is protected.

Tips for using technology:

• Use secure reporting platforms that automatically redact or highlight sensitive data.
• Leverage project management tools that integrate goal-setting and progress tracking with internal controls and access management systems.

Conclusion

In both public and private sectors, responding to "What did you accomplish last week?" requires a thoughtful approach. Employees should focus on aligning their responses with organizational goals, being transparent about accountability, and ensuring sensitive information is protected. Clear guidance from leadership on objectives and the management of associated risks ensures that responses are accurate, responsible, and in line with organizational security and compliance standards. By taking these steps, organizations can maintain both productivity and security, fostering a culture of accountability while safeguarding sensitive information.

Background

On February 22, 2025, Elon Musk, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Trump's administration, sent an email to all federal employees. The email requested that each employee provide a summary of their accomplishments from the previous week, specifically asking for "approximately five bullet points of what you accomplished last week." Musk emphasized that failure to respond would be interpreted as a resignation.

This directive has faced significant pushback from various federal agencies. For instance, the Department of Defense advised its employees to ignore the email, stating that performance reviews would be managed according to the department's own procedures. Similarly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of State instructed their staff to disregard the request, citing the sensitive nature of their work. 

The initiative has sparked widespread controversy, with critics arguing that it imposes unnecessary administrative burdens and could potentially compromise sensitive information. Some federal employees have expressed frustration over the directive, viewing it as an impractical and counterproductive approach to assessing productivity.

PS - 

This article is not intended to approve nor disapprove of this recent request from DOGE, nor do we have any recommendation (in this case) about whether to respond or not respond. Yes, we used GrokAI to generate the image. Please don't read into that. If you would like to discuss, reach out to me: chris@cxoaccelerator.com