A client once told me:
“I do great work, but when it’s time to talk about it, I freeze. I don’t know how to say it without sounding braggy or vague.”
I knew exactly what she meant.
When I was in corporate, my biggest frustration wasn’t the work. It was how invisible the impact of that work became once it left my hands.
Projects finished.
Systems stabilized.
Risks vanished.
And all of it quietly disappeared into the machinery of the company.
Then performance season rolled around… and suddenly the story mattered more than the effort.
But here’s the reality of the situation (and most learn this too late):
Promotions are not rewards for working hard.
Promotions are bets placed on people who can communicate their value clearly and succinctly.
Here's what no one tells you about promotions: Leaders don't promote hard workers. They promote people who make their decision easy.
Think about it from their perspective. In calibration meetings, managers have 30 seconds to advocate for you. They're juggling 10 direct reports, fighting for limited promotion slots and facing skeptical peers asking, "But what did they actually change?"
If your manager can't instantly articulate your impact, you've already lost.
Most people write about activities:
"Led cross-functional project"
"Managed stakeholder communications"
"Improved team processes"
But leaders need to hear outcomes:
"Cut vendor costs by $2M by renegotiating contracts others said were locked"
"Prevented 3-month delay by catching compliance issue everyone else missed"
"Turned around failing project, delivering 2 weeks early despite 40% staff shortage"
The difference? The second list makes the promotion decision obvious. And now for the tool to make this easy…
Here’s Your 5-Minute Fix
Create a one-page Promotion Brief that tells your story the way leaders need to hear it.
The Promotion Brief Framework:
Write one short paragraph for each:
Impact Summary (2-3 sentences) Start with: "In the past [timeframe], I've..." Then list 2-3 transformations you drove. Use this formula: [Action] that [Result] by/despite [Constraint/Challenge]
Decision Shaping (2-3 examples) Frame it: "I influenced key outcomes by..." Then give specific moments where your input changed direction. Include: What was going to happen → What you recommended → What actually happened
Invisible Wins (2-3 bullets) Lead with: "Behind the scenes, I..." List the fires you prevented, problems you headed off, relationships you salvaged. Things that would have blown up without you.
Ready For (1-2 sentences) End with: "I'm ready to..." State the specific next level responsibility you want. Be precise: team size, budget scope, decision authority.
The Promotion Brief AI Prompt
So, if you were just thinking, “great idea, but it would take me forever to write this up,” don’t worry. I’ve got you.
I wrote a detailed AI prompt to generate it for you.
Don’t have access to Chat GPT at work? I’ve got you again. I created a version optimized for Microsoft CoPilot.
A few final thoughts for you…
Most people don’t get stuck because they’re unqualified.
They get stuck because they don’t know how to talk about their work in a way leaders instantly understand.
This tool isn’t just a prompt.
It’s your decoder ring!
Use it before:
• every promotion cycle
• every performance review
• every 1:1 career conversation
• every time your scope is changing
• every time your boss asks, “So… what have you been working on?”
Your work deserves to be seen.
Let’s make it impossible to miss.
Want to me to review your promotion brief? Just hit reply and attach your brief. I’ll respond is 1 - 2 business days.
To your momentum!
Cassie