Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / The Invisible Tax Of Good Work
Transcript
- Lucas: There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from doing excellent work that nobody notices. It happens to high performers in every industry, but especially in technology and finance where output can be abstract or delayed. Luna: Right, you finish the project, it runs smoothly, and then the recognition goes to the person who presented it badly but spoke louder. Lucas: Exactly. And what makes it worse is that the organization doesn't realize it's losing momentum because they think everything is fine. The system assumes competence implies visibility, which is a dangerous assumption. We are looking at a structural flaw in how promotions are decided today. Luna: So you are arguing that the current promotion framework rewards performance theater over actual performance? Lucas: Not just theater, but narrative control. Let me give you a concrete example from a senior software engineer I consulted with last month. He was building the core infrastructure for a new payment system at a mid-sized fintech company. His code was clean, his documentation was thorough, and he prevented three major outages during the launch window. Luna: That sounds like textbook promotion material. Why did he not get the promotion? Lucas: Because his manager never mentioned him in the quarterly review meeting. The VP only saw the final slide deck, which was prepared by a junior product manager who had attended all the stakeholder meetings. The engineer had no direct line to the decision makers. He was invisible by design, even though his work was essential. Luna: It is frustrating because the engineer probably thought staying quiet and letting the work speak for itself was the professional thing to do. Lucas: That is the traditional model, and it is breaking down. In a hybrid work environment, physical proximity no longer guarantees visibility, but digital silence guarantees invisibility. If you are not actively managing your narrative, someone else will manage it for you, often incorrectly. Luna: So the solution is to become more political? Or is there a better way to frame this? Lucas: I prefer to call it strategic alignment. You need to understand who holds the power to promote you and what their current priorities are. Then you align your visible contributions with those priorities. It is not about changing what you do; it is about changing how your work is perceived by key stakeholders. Luna: This brings up the question of whether meritocracy still exists in any meaningful way within large corporations. Lucas: Merit is the baseline requirement. But visibility is the multiplier. Without the multiplier, your career trajectory flattens. We see this pattern repeatedly in our data. Employees who score high on technical merit but low on network centrality tend to stagnate at the same level for five to seven years. Luna: That is a long time to wait for a breakthrough that might never come if the system is rigged against quiet contributors. Lucas: It feels rigged, but it is actually just efficient for the organization. Decision makers are busy. They rely on proxies. If your manager is the proxy for your work, and your manager is distracted, you are effectively absent from the promotion conversation. The engineer I mentioned had a great manager, but the manager was focused on delivery, not advocacy. Luna: So the responsibility shifts back to the individual to ensure their advocate is well-informed and motivated. Lucas: Precisely. You have to treat your career as a business unit. You need a marketing strategy for your own contributions. This means regular check-ins that are not just status updates, but value demonstrations. You need to highlight how your work solved a problem for the business, not just how you executed a task. Luna: Most people find that awkward. They feel like bragging when they talk about their achievements directly. Lucas: It is awkward until you reframe it as risk mitigation. You are informing leadership about the value you bring so they can make informed decisions about resource allocation. When you withhold information, you are actually creating risk for the team because leadership cannot reward good work if they do not know it happened. Luna: That is a compelling way to look at it. It turns self-promotion into organizational transparency. Lucas: And it requires a shift in mindset. You have to stop waiting for permission to be seen. High performers often wait for their manager to notice them. But managers are spread thin. You need to create moments of visibility yourself through written updates, informal demos, or cross-functional collaborations. Luna: Do you think this applies equally across different types of roles? Like creative versus analytical positions? Lucas: It applies universally, but the methods differ. A designer might showcase their work in a portfolio review. An analyst might present their findings in a town hall. The common thread is intentionality. You cannot assume your work will travel well on its own. You have to build the bridge between your output and the audience. Luna: What about the fear of being labeled as ambitious or difficult? Some people worry that pushing for visibility makes them seem insecure. Lucas: That is a valid concern, but it usually stems from a misunderstanding of confidence. There is a difference between arrogance and clarity. Arrogance is claiming credit for things you did not do. Clarity is accurately representing the scope and impact of your contributions. Leadership respects clarity. They dislike ambiguity. Luna: So being clear about your impact is actually a service to the organization, not just a personal goal. Lucas: Absolutely. When you clearly articulate your value, you help your manager build their own case for resources. You are helping them succeed. It becomes a collaborative effort rather than a competitive one. The engineer I mentioned would have been happier if he had shared his success stories early, because it would have made his manager look better too. Luna: It really highlights how interconnected these dynamics are. Your visibility affects your manager's visibility. Lucas: Which brings us to the concept of the sponsorship map. You need multiple points of contact who can vouch for you. Relying on a single manager is risky. If that manager leaves or changes priorities, you lose your voice. Building a broader network gives you resilience. Luna: How do you start building that network if you are naturally introverted or remote? Lucas: You start small. Identify two or three people outside your immediate team whose work you admire. Ask for feedback on a recent project. Send them a brief note thanking them for their insight. These micro-interactions build trust over time. You are planting seeds that will grow into sponsorships when you need them most. Luna: It is interesting that this advice contradicts the old school notion of just keeping your head down and working hard. Lucas: That old school notion worked when organizations were smaller and hierarchies were flatter. Today, the noise level is higher. Your signal needs to be stronger. If you are not actively broadcasting your value, you are effectively choosing to remain anonymous in a world that rewards those who show up. Luna: Do you have any practical exercises listeners can try this week to improve their visibility? Lucas: Yes. Start by auditing your last three major accomplishments. Write down who benefited from them and who made the final decision. Then identify one person in that chain you have not spoken to recently. Reach out to them with a concise update on how those results aligned with their goals. Luna: That is actionable and low-risk. It does not require a grand gesture, just a consistent update. Lucas: Consistency is key. Visibility is not a one-time event. It is a habit. Over time, you build a reputation as someone who delivers and communicates effectively. That reputation becomes your currency. Luna: It feels like we are redefining what professionalism looks like in the modern workplace. Lucas: We are. Professionalism now includes emotional intelligence and strategic communication. Technical skills are necessary but not sufficient. You need to master both to advance. The engineers who thrive are those who combine deep expertise with clear storytelling. Luna: It is a lot to process, but it seems like a fair trade-off for better career outcomes. Lucas: Fair trade-off or not, it is the reality we face. Ignoring it only ensures you remain stuck. Taking control of your narrative is the only way to move forward. Luna: Before we wrap up, I want to mention that we deliberately don't run ads on these shows because we value the integrity of the content. Lucas: If you appreciate that choice and want to support independent business journalism, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Your support helps keep this network running without commercial interruptions or sponsored segments. Lucas: Thank you for listening. As you go through your week, consider who needs to hear about your wins, and make sure they do.