🚀 The thing no one tells you about promotions

You've shipped every feature on time. Hit every metric. Solved problems your team didn't even know existed.

So why did someone else get promoted?

You're stuck being the assistant to the regional manager when you should be the assistant regional manager. (And if you don't get that reference, we can't be friends.)

The bottom line: visibility beats execution — especially in larger companies.

The Brutal Truth About Corporate Promotions

Here's what nobody tells you: doing great work is table stakes. It's the minimum entry fee, not the winning ticket.

A thread in the product management subreddit nailed it: "You can ship every sprint and still get labeled as not strategic enough. PMs can deliver every project on time, but no one above them really understood what they were doing or why it mattered."

The "why" is everything. And if leadership doesn't understand your "why," your work might as well not exist.

My ZipRecruiter Reality Check

At ZipRecruiter, I was the execution machine. Features shipped, deadlines hit, problems solved. My visibility strategy? "Work really hard and hope someone notices."

Spoiler alert: They didn't.

Performance review season was my wake-up call. The feedback wasn't about my work quality — it was that leadership had no idea how my projects connected to business goals or what impact they were making. Apparently, "I fixed the broken thing" doesn't translate to "promote this person immediately" in executive-speak.

My manager's advice changed everything: "People need to know you for your work. When your name comes up, it should be tied to work that matters to the company."

Translation: I was doing good work but missing the storytelling piece entirely. I needed a story. Not just results — a narrative that mattered to people who control promotions.

Why Smart People Fall Into the Visibility Trap

We obsess over details and miss the big picture. You hit your KPIs but forget to explain why those numbers matter to the business.

We assume good work speaks for itself. In a 10-person startup? Maybe. In a 500+ person company? Your work is a whisper in a hurricane.

We mistake motion for progress. Shipping features feels productive. Writing strategic updates feels like "overhead." Guess which one gets you promoted?

The 3-Step Visibility System

Step 1: Connect Everything to Business Goals

Every project needs a clear line to company OKRs, strategic initiatives, or key business objectives. If you can't draw that connection in one sentence, you're working on the wrong things.

Before: "I shipped the login flow."
After: "I reduced user acquisition friction by 23%, directly contributing to our Q2 growth targets."

Step 2: Build Your Visibility Engine

Create a consistent communication rhythm that positions you as the strategic owner of your work:

What to communicate (regardless of channel):

• Key metrics and changes related to your product

• What you shipped and what you learned

• Strategic adjustments you're making and why

• Clear connection to business objectives

Where to communicate (choose ONE):

• Weekly emails to your manager + all stakeholders

• Monthly presentations to leadership

• Regular Slack updates in strategic channels for broader visibility

The key is consistency. Pick your lane and stick to it until people expect and rely on your updates.

Step 3: Build Your Personal Narrative

Identify 2-3 themes that define your work:

• "Growth acceleration through user experience"

• "Platform reliability that enables scale"

• "Data-driven product decisions"

Craft a 30-second elevator pitch connecting your work to company success. Practice until it's natural.

Where you'll use this: Impromptu conversations with leadership, team meetings when introducing yourself, performance reviews, and any time someone asks, "What do you work on?" Your narrative should immediately help them understand your strategic value, not just your task list.

Troubleshooting Common Obstacles

"I don't own a clear product area" → Focus on cross-functional initiatives you contribute to or problems you're helping solve across teams

"Leadership doesn't respond to my updates" → Try a different communication channel or adjust your stakeholder list to people who are more engaged

"My company culture doesn't value this kind of communication" → Start smaller with just your immediate team and manager, then expand as you prove the approach works

"I'm worried about seeming self-promotional" → Frame everything around business impact and team success, not personal achievements

Signs You're Making Progress

Before you reach the ultimate test, watch for these early indicators:

• Your updates start getting forwarded to people you didn't originally send them to

• Leadership begins asking follow-up questions about your work

• You get cc'd on emails about your area of expertise

• Stakeholders start coming to you first when they have questions about your domain

The ultimate test: When someone says, "Who's driving [important initiative]?" your name should be the first mentioned.

Don't be the hardest-working person in the room that nobody knows about. Be the Michael Scott of strategic communication — impossible to ignore, but for all the right reasons.

The Bottom Line

Your brilliant execution won't advance your career if it's invisible. But visibility isn't about self-promotion or office politics — it's about strategic communication.

Stop hoping your work will speak for itself. Start making sure it shouts.

What's your biggest visibility challenge? Hit reply and let me know, and we can figure out a plan together.

The Meme