CareerSteps Insights – November Edition

Introduction

November has invited me to reflect on a subtle but powerful truth: leadership often reveals itself in clarity, courage, and consistent small choices, rather than grand announcements or loud titles. Through coaching sessions, conversations, and workshops, I saw many professionals wrestling with visibility, values, and influence. 

In this edition, I share insights from that journey plus useful tools and reflections if you’re stepping into a people-manager role.

Expert Advice

Visibility is not a performance, it is clarity. I often hear high-performing professionals say they hesitate to talk about their work because they fear sounding arrogant. But when we avoid speaking about what we do, we make it harder for others to understand our contribution. 

Instead of marketing ourselves, we can speak clearly about results, impact, and value, grounding visibility in facts rather than in fluff. This month I encouraged you to shift from adjectives to outcomes, from self-protection to shared understanding. Visibility built on clarity is not ego, it is leadership.

👉Read the original post here

Client Success Story

A few weeks ago, I worked with a client who reminded me of so many professionals I meet. Highly competent, deeply committed, respected by colleagues, yet almost invisible when it came to her actual impact. Her hesitation was familiar: “I don’t want to sound arrogant.”

We took the same approach I described in my November 5 post. Instead of polishing her story or adding more enthusiasm, we grounded everything in clarity. We replaced adjectives with facts. We connected outcomes to business priorities. She began using “we” for shared wins, and “I” for the responsibilities she carried alone.

What changed wasn’t her personality, it was the intention behind her words.

During her next conversation with her manager, she explained how a process improvement she piloted had reduced delays by 15 percent, how it helped the team deliver faster, and what she learned in the process. Her manager didn’t hear arrogance. He heard leadership.

By shifting from self-promotion to clarity, she became visible, credible, and ready for the next step.

👉 Read the original post here

Practical Tips

Before diving into specific actions, one key insight: visibility and leadership begin long before formal reviews, they begin when you start linking your daily work to meaningful outcomes.

Here are five practices you can adopt right away:

• Record and summarise wins weekly. Even small successes, a solved problem, a saved hour, a smoother process add up. A short “win log” helps you track what moves the needle.

• Frame work as impact, not tasks. When you describe what you did, ask yourself: what changed because of it? Who benefited? How did things improve? Use that as your narrative.

• Communicate regularly, not only at year-end. Share progress and context with your manager and stakeholders periodically so that impact doesn’t come as a surprise.

• Build visibility beyond your immediate team. Let colleagues in other functions know when your work touches them — collaboration across boundaries often raises your profile.

• Say no selectively — focus on what matters. Overworking can lead to being seen as “always available,” but not as “strategic.” Instead, choose projects that align with your capacity to deliver impact and visibility.

  
  

With small, consistent adjustments, you turn work into leadership, without needing to “self-promote.”

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Industry Insights

One theme that keeps showing up across industries is how professionals still overestimate performance as the main driver of career progression. Performance matters, of course, but it’s not enough. Today’s organisations increasingly recognise that two other elements shape career growth just as much: image (how others perceive you) and exposure (who actually knows your work). High performers who stay quiet often watch others move ahead simply because their contribution is easier to see.

The trend is undeniable: visibility is no longer a luxury, it’s a strategic skill. Communicating your work is part of the work. Leaders want to understand how your contribution connects to what they care about: performance, engagement, innovation, or organisational priorities.

Professionals who embrace this reality early, especially those preparing for people-manager roles, are the ones who accelerate their progression. Not because they shout the loudest,  but because they help others see clearly.

👉 Read the original post here

Personal Reflections

This month I found myself returning often to one simple observation: when I step into sessions without a script, just curiosity, the real work begins. Recently I led a workshop where I deliberately let go of the “perfect plan.” Instead, I asked questions, listened, and let participants shape the direction. The result wasn’t a flawless process, but a deeply honest conversation.

It reminded me that leadership isn’t about polished presentations or perfect timing. It’s about presence, empathy, and inviting others to co-create solutions. Sometimes the most powerful leadership emerges when we give up control and make space for authenticity.

👉 Read the original post here

Book and Resource Recommendations

This month I recommend “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown,  a book that explores how vulnerability, courage, and values shape authentic leadership. Among the ideas that resonated most with me and my clients:

• Courage over comfort. Leadership often means leaning into discomfort: tough conversations, ambiguity, uncertainty. Brown argues that courage, not perfection,  defines strong leadership.

• Vulnerability builds trust. When leaders share doubts, admit mistakes, and invite feedback, they create psychological safety and deeper connection.

• Values guide decisions. Clear values help guide behaviour, especially under pressure. When tough choices arise, values become the compass that keeps your leadership consistent.

• Leadership is collective. Leadership is not about a lone hero at the top, but about enabling others, creating shared ownership, and building trust.

  
  

If you want a practical complement to the book, revisit the influence styles framework (persuasion, assertion, bridging, inspiration), combining values-driven leadership with adaptive influence makes for a powerful foundation.

Q&A

Q: I deliver strong results, but I hesitate to speak up: how can I make my work visible without feeling like I’m bragging?

A: Start by shifting the focus from you to value. Instead of “I did this,” try “this happened, and here’s why it matters.” Describe outcomes, impact, value to the organisation or team. Share results, not feelings. Use “we” when it was a collaborative effort, “I” when you owned a key responsibility.

Communication becomes a service, not a spotlight: you’re helping others understand, align, and trust. If you keep repeating that approach: consistently, calmly, factually, being visible stops being a choice, it becomes part of your leadership rhythm.

👉 Read the original post here

Conclusion

Transitioning into a people-manager role is not just about stronger technical skills or more hours: it’s about clarity, connection, and consistent choices. When you anchor your work in impact, communicate with integrity, and lead with presence, you become visible not by accident, but by design.

Whether you’re preparing for a review, stepping into new responsibilities, or simply clarifying your leadership values, I’m here to help.

Call to Action

If you’re ready to strengthen your influence and step into leadership with confidence, I invite you to join the upcoming webinar “The Art of Influence” on December 05, 2025, a one-hour online session designed to help you understand your natural influencing style and broaden your impact when you don’t yet have formal authority. 

📅 Secure your seat today via the registration page.

Whether you want to prepare for a new managerial role, improve stakeholder collaboration, or simply build confidence in shaping outcomes, his webinar is a great next step.