I know a lot about spreadsheets.

It’s not the type of thing that most would consider to be a claim to fame, but man, can I make those numbers come to life!

Creative formula writing and knowledge of accounting principles combined with years of practice has been invaluable to me in my career. More importantly, I like doing the work. A database is not just rows and columns of bland data; it’s the beginning of a challenge – a dare of sorts, from me to me.

I can make this stuff understandable for the non-accountant.

Now that’s a lofty ambition to have, eh?

I think so. In business, communication is key. If management is paying attention to the wrong things, the business will suffer.

In this hyper-social world, I go the other way.  Give me a problem and the data to work with… then leave. (<–tweet this)

I’m at my best when I’m alone in my darkened office with only the glare of the monitor lighting my desk, smooth grooves playing in the background, and my phone turned off. When I emerge, my creation will be flexible, scalable, and of course, always deliver accurate results.

Oh, I’m getting all tingly just writing about it.

Despite the success that I experienced by taking this approach to work and working, something bad happened several years ago. I started to notice that others were placing me in a box. The box was formed by using lots of complimentary terms: The Excel Wizard, Mr., Excel, The Man, etc. At first it was nice, but…

… a gilded box is still a box.

I was going to school at the time, working to broaden my management skills so that I could advance. Ultimately, it took a change in jobs after graduation to begin to be recognized as being good at more than just one thing. I didn’t want to leave, but there didn’t seem to be any point in staying any longer.

Leaving my comfort zone, I took a chance. Escaping from the box has been hard at times, as prospective employers have not always been keen to my many talents. But like Pai Mei’s student in Kill Bill Vol. 2, I punched at the lid of the box until I broke free.

I know a lot about spreadsheets, but looking beyond them has taught me a lot about me.

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