Dear Professional, Excel is NOT the enemy
Dear Professional, Excel is NOT the enemy
If the thought of Microsoft Excel makes you anxious or sends a shiver down your spine, you are not alone. I am pretty sure hundreds of thousands of people feel the same way.?
For some, the fear stemmed from hearing so many horror stories about Excel from other people.?In some other cases, you just weren’t in the right mental space to learn it (trust me learning Excel requires an open and positive mind space).
There is also a category of people like me, whose brains shutdown at the first glance of numbers, data and those dreadful grid lines!
You might be a part of the clique that had a traumatic first experience using Microsoft Excel due to a bad instructor ??
Or quite simply, you just don’t know how to use it!
Whichever category you fall into, one thing is true : Excel is NOT the enemy.
If Excel could speak, I am sure it would cry ‘victim’ as often the issue with Excel is from us, the Humans. Yup!
The truth is, most people use the spreadsheets incorrectly; underuse, overuse and misuse. To see the beauty of Excel we have to the know it’s place in whatever tasks we are looking to achieve.
Granted, Microsoft Excel is a fantastic software that can do a wide array of tasks such as business analysis, accounting, charting, financial reporting, performance reporting, operations management etc. but know that Excel cannot do everything and might not always be the best option. In some cases, you are better off using other applications for certain processes.?
Now that we have spoken about why some people suffer from Excelophobia, what are the basic requirements to excel at using Excel? ??
- Have an open mind and desire to learn it
- Be courageous and willing to go past your comfort zone?
- Have a basic understanding of mathematics (if you studied maths in secondary school , you are good)?
- Do not be terrified of numbers?
If you are willing to give learning Microsoft Excel a shot, here are a few words of advice:?
- Start with a blank spreadsheet, that’s the first step?
- Do not try to learn every function. As a matter of fact depending on your job role, you might never need certain functions. Learn only what you need per time and apply as soon as you can.
- Focus on the use cases of each function and not just cramming the functions.?
- Learn in a guided manner.Learn from an instructor that can break down the functions and use cases nicely. Clue: check out our use Excel Like a Pro course?
5.????Lastly, practice, practice, practice! Ideally this should be sorted if you follow advice no 2.
For anyone who has the desire to learn how to use excel either because it is required in your job or you want to add it to your repertoire of skills. I hope this article encourages you to go for it!?
领英推è
If you previously had a fear of Excel and have overcome it, please share tips that might help others in the comments section. ????
Rooting for you,
SOA
For Leonine Learning?
Leonine Learning is the training arm of Leonine Investment Services "Leonine" that helps individuals and businesses bridge their finance and business- related knowledge gap.
Who do we work with?
- Finance professionals
- Business owners
- Corporate teams in diverse industries
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students
How do we add value to you?
Our team of seasoned finance and investment professionals train individuals and teams on tools that enhance their productivity, finance, and data analysis skills via our:
- ?Financial modelling, Valuation, Financial analysis, and Financial Due Diligence etc. trainings
- ?Data analytics trainings (Basic and Advanced Data Analytics in Excel, Power BI (Business Intelligence))
How do we deliver our trainings?
1. Physical trainings
2. Virtual online trainings
3. Online courses via our learning platform; learning.leonine.com.ng.Checkout our Build Financial Models Like a Pro and How to build automated dashboards in Excel online course ?
Want to make enquiries?
Reach out to us via email at?learning@leonine.com.ng
If you enjoyed this newsletter, why not share it?