Most often, when professionals are asked for the progress or updates of a task or work, too many young professionals resort to the same old response of “We’re working on it.” But insight from Ghanaian entrepreneur and business mogul, Dr. Daniel McKorley, is revealing that those four words could be doing more harm to your career than you realize.
As part of his commitment to inspire professionals with nuggets as we start a new month, the CEO of the McDan group is cautioning that vague updates are not only unhelpful but also communicate the exact opposite of what professionals intend.
Dr. McKorley explains that when someone asks for an update, it is assumed that the person already knows that you are working on it. To him, what the questioner needs is clarity and specifics, not vague responses.
“Too often, when young professionals are asked for progress, the response is, “we’re working on it.” If you believe that is a professional answer to give, I’m sorry, but it is not. It communicates the opposite of what you intend,” he indicated.
He continued that, “When someone asks for an update, they already assume you are working. What they need is clarity.”
The entrepreneur underscored that career growth is fueled not by empty reassurances but by transparency, ownership, and precision in communication.
For him, true professionals distinguish themselves by answering three critical questions when giving updates. These critical questions, he says, are;
What progress has been made? what challenges have been encountered? and when can delivery be expected?
Failure to provide answers to these questions in one’s answer, Dr. McKorley argued, signals avoidance, incompetence, or worse, a lack of accountability.
He is therefore, urging young professionals to embrace proactive communication: highlight progress honestly, state challenges openly, and manage expectations responsibly.
“Keeping people you work with informed is not just good practice; it is how you build trust, reliability, and long-term credibility,” he noted.
He insisted that “the people who rise in their careers are not those who simply say they are working on it. They are the ones who take ownership, manage expectations, and communicate with transparency.
He charged professionals to “delete vague updates from your vocabulary. Own your work. Communicate with precision. That is how you stand out, and that is how you grow.”
McDan concludes that career advancement isn’t just about doing the work; it’s also about how you communicate the work. Precision, honesty, and accountability are the markers of professionals who stand out.
