You work hard. You get great results. So why are you being passed over for promotions and special assignments?
It could be as simple as this: no one knows about your results!
Results only elevate you when others know about them, and when they align with the organization’s priorities and narrative. This is where many women stumble: they assume visibility will naturally follow performance. It rarely does. You have to lead with results and communicate them with intention.
Here’s the truth: the most effective way to build leadership status and increase visibility is to lead with results. When your outcomes speak loudly, your ambition doesn’t have to. The key is learning how to showcase those results strategically in ways that feel authentic, avoid backlash, and position you as indispensable.
Why Leading With Results Works
In many workplaces, perception often outweighs performance. Yet, paradoxically, performance, when presented strategically, can shape perception in powerful ways. Results create evidence. They build credibility. They make your leadership visible without the need for self-promotion that can be misinterpreted or cause backlash.
When you consistently deliver value and make that value visible, people begin to see you not just as a contributor, but as a leader. Your impact becomes the story.
Three Strategies to Lead with Results
1. Align Your Results with Strategic Priorities
Delivering results that matter to you isn’t always the same as delivering results that matter to your organization. To gain leadership status, focus your energy on what’s most visible and valuable to those who hold power.
Ask yourself:
- What are the metrics that matter most to senior leadership right now?
- How does my work directly contribute to those outcomes?
- How can I make that connection clear and measurable?
For example, if your company’s top goal is revenue growth, tie your work to that metric even if your role is indirect. Instead of saying, “I managed a team of five analysts,” say, “I lead a team whose data insights helped the sales organization identify a $2M opportunity.” It’s powerful if you can quantify your results this way.
Translation: You’re not just managing people or tasks; you’re driving strategy.
What works: Framing your results in the organization’s language: outcomes, impact, growth, savings, innovation.
What doesn’t work: Focusing only on effort (“I worked hard,” “I took on extra projects”) without translating it into measurable business value.
Read the full article on Substack.com
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