#24 Articulate Your Contributions with Confidence

Do you sometimes find it hard to talk about your accomplishments without feeling like you’re bragging? In this episode, we’ll focus on how to confidently articulate your contributions at work without feeling uncomfortable. 

You’ll learn how to recognize your value, frame your accomplishments in terms of impact, and communicate them in a way that feels authentic and professional. By the end of this episode, you’ll be equipped with strategies to ensure your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, and you’ll feel more empowered to advocate for yourself in meetings, reviews, and casual conversations. 

Don’t let your achievements go under the radar—learn how to share them with confidence!

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome back to the Wise Women’s Workplace podcast! I’m your host, Anita Belitz, and today we’re diving into a topic that I know can feel a bit tricky for many of you: knowing your value and knowing how to communicate your value confidently at work.

Have you ever found yourself downplaying your accomplishments or shying away from talking about what you’ve contributed, even though you know you’ve crushed it? Maybe lost your nerve talking about it during a meeting with your boss or maybe during a job interview? If so, you’re definitely not alone. Many of us have this underlying fear that if we talk about our achievements, we’ll come off as bragging, trying to steal the spotlight or worse, that we don’t really deserve recognition because it is just what’s expected of us. I hear you! I often felt like my work should be noticed based on its merit and I hated the idea of having to point it out to my boss.   

But here’s the truth: if you don’t know the value of your work and can’t communicate it confidently, no one else will either. And I’m not talking about being boastful or exaggerating the work that you’ve done —I’m talking about being able to articulate what you bring to the table in a way that feels authentic, professional, and natural - in a way that the person who is listening to you can follow along with what you’re explaining. So, by the end of today’s episode, my hope is that you’ll have a clearer understanding of how to recognize your value and be able to talk about it with confidence.

Step 1: Recognizing Your Value :
The very first step in articulating your value is that YOU have to recognize your value yourself. And this is where many of us struggle because often we’re so much better at recognizing what we DON’T know how to do or what we HAVEN’T done rather than focusing on what we DO know or what we actually HAVE done - and often because of mindset issues that get in the way. Some of us just get blocked when we have to give ourselves credit.  

So, how do you begin to recognize your value? Try to get structured in your approach by asking yourself a few key questions to get started:

• First ask yourself “What are my strengths? Or maybe What are the things I do better than most of my colleagues?”

Make a list. It may be easiest to think about what colleagues often come and ask you for help with. Also, think about the things that you find extremely easy to do at work that colleagues don’t are easy. The fact that it comes easily to you is likely an indication that you are naturally good at it. We sometimes have a blind spot when it comes to the things we’re good at because we somehow discount it in our minds because since we find it easy, we assume it is easy for everyone, and that is often not the case. Or people may be able to do it but don’t like to do it, but we do. And that’s ok. We want to do things at work that make US happy, right?  

• Then move on to “What have I contributed to the success of my team or company?” Here we are going a bit broader….

If you find this question hard to answer, this is something that you can ask a trusted co-worker when it comes to the team success. And for the company contribution, this could be more or less obvious depending on the apparent direct contribution of your department to the overall success of the company. But don’t get stuck on this for the moment. The next step can also help you get clarity and you may want to circle back through these questions multiple times as you are gaining more and more clarity. 

• Finally for this step, ask yourself: “What problems have I solved, and what impact has that had on the business?”

This one is hopefully more obvious! I often encourage clients to keep a work journal in which you keep track of the successes that you are having - no matter how small they seem. Sometimes seeing the collection of successes all together is what allows us to understand the importance of the work that what we do. This is especially true when it comes to administrative work and processes. At first glance they may seem difficult to actually claim as a success because we’re “just doing our work”, but if you start to quantify how much you do or really look at the individual steps in a process you will start to discover the value that you bring through your work. And each type of work that is done in a business is there for a reason otherwise it wouldn’t exist. Sales may be easier or seem more sexy to quantify than invoices, for example, but each one has it’s role in the activities - sales without invoices add up to nothing. So every activity counts.    

So, If you find it hard to answer these questions - knowing what you’re good at, what you contribute, and how that impacts the organization - that’s normal! We’re often so focused on the next task or goal that we forget to acknowledge what we’ve already achieved. But here’s what I want you to do: take some time today to sit down and reflect on the past few months. Make a list of the projects you’ve worked on, the tasks you’ve completed, and any positive feedback you’ve received. No accomplishment is too small.

As an Example:
Maybe you organized a project that helped your team meet a critical deadline, or perhaps you stepped up during a crisis and helped your department run smoothly. Whatever it is, write it down, because these are the contributions that showcase your value.

Once you start to list these things, you’ll begin to see just how much you accomplish. And remember, recognizing your value isn’t about inflating your ego—it’s about having an honest assessment of your strengths and the impact you have through your work.

Step 2: Framing Your Value in Terms of Impact :
Now that you’ve started to recognize your value, the next step is learning how to communicate it in a way that resonates with others, particularly with your managers and colleagues. The key here is to frame your contributions in terms of the impact they’ve had, rather than just listing off tasks you’ve completed.  I know we often have the impression that the boss knows everything about our job, but they don’t. Or they don’t remember. Being a manager, they manage the work and the people around them and often move further and further away from being an expert on the details. So you need to help them remember why what you’re telling them is important and helpful. And if you do it the right way, you will actually help them to help you shine. 

What does this mean?
Framing your value can be understood by listening to how the following two statements sound: It’s the difference between saying, “I helped organize the marketing campaign,” which is very general, not at all results-oriented, and very ambiguous as to what you specifically contributed. Now think about that compared to saying something like, “I organized the marketing campaign, which resulted in a 20% increase in customer engagement AND which led to two new client partnerships.” This is specific, results-oriented, and we know that you are the one who organized the campaign. That is pretty clear. And you aren’t claiming that you did it all on your own - the way it’s stated is pretty clear that others were involved. And if your boss doesn’t know and wants to know, they’ll ask and you can explain then.

You’re not just telling people what you’ve done—you’re showing them the tangible results of your work and instead of sounding like you’re claiming that you’re great, they are realizing it themselves, which is always so much more convincing. 

Action Step:
So let’s try this: Take one of the accomplishments from your list from Step 1 and reframe it. Ask yourself:

• What was the outcome of your work?
• How did it benefit the company, the team, or the client?
• Did it save time, money, or resources? Did it increase revenue or customer satisfaction? Or maybe it was about reducing workload or increasing productivity or efficiency… 

When you start framing your value in terms of impact, it not only makes your contributions more visible but also demonstrates that you understand how your work aligns with the organization’s larger goals. And this is really important for your boss to understand - in terms of solidifying how they feel about you and in building goodwill and willingness to promote you, for example. 

Example:
Let’s say you led a project that streamlined internal processes. Instead of simply saying, “I successfully managed the project,” you could say, “I led the project to streamline our internal processes, which reduced the team’s time on administrative tasks by 15% and allowed us to focus more on client-facing work.” This shows both your leadership and the positive outcome of your efforts and by using facts you are providing proof which is much less subjective than if you are claiming that you successfully managed the project. You are taking the guesswork out of how well you REALLY did. 

Step 3: Practicing How to Articulate Your Contributions Confidently:
The final step in this process is practicing HOW to talk about your value in a way that feels natural to you. For many of us, this is the hardest part, because we’re afraid of coming across as boastful or arrogant or claiming success that isn’t our’s - it’s the team’s. But here’s the thing: there’s a huge difference between bragging and confidently stating facts.

When you talk about your contributions, focus on facts, not feelings. You’re not saying, “I’m amazing because I did this.” You’re saying, “Here’s the work I did, and here’s the result it produced.” It’s objective, and it’s grounded in reality.

Example:
Here’s another example: Imagine you’re in a meeting, and your manager asks for an update on a project you’ve been working on. Instead of downplaying your role or giving a vague response because you assume your boss knows all of the project’s details, you could say something like, “I’ve been heading up that project to improve our client onboarding process and so far, we’ve reduced onboarding time by 25%, which has allowed clients to start using our services sooner and increased client satisfaction by 10%.” This is extremely informative, it’s concise and straight to the point, and it isn’t boastful at all. 

Notice how you’re simply stating the facts, but those facts paint a clear picture of your value because it shows the impact of your work. 

Of course your boss wants to know you are doing the work you are responsible for, but the assumption is that you are - otherwise you would be asking for help or explaining the challenges. This is showing how things are moving along smoothly, that it has an impact, and it has the added bonus of signaling that you know what’s important in the work that you do. 

If you’re thinking “I’m not sure I can do this - it sounds weird, or unnatural”, just start with small adjustments and in one on one meetings to get yourself started. And absolutely make sure that you are practicing this before going into the meeting. And if you can do it out loud, that’s way better than if you are only doing it in your head. For some reason there is a world of change that happens between the narrative that we’re thinking about in our heads and the one that comes our of our mouths in the moment. Also, sometimes our nervousness can get in the way of sounding confident, and if you practice outloud first, you will probably find that you feel much more comfortable saying it in the meeting and will project more and confidence. 

Over time, it will start to feel less awkward and more natural. And you know what? You are making it much easier for your boss to convey the information upward - that’s a success for you, your boss, your team and your department, so it isn’t selfish and you aren’t hogging the spotlight, for sure! 

Let’s quickly summarize what we’ve covered in this episode. Knowing your value and articulating it confidently is key to advancing in your career, and it’s something you can start working on right now.

Here are the main steps to follow and points to remember:

1. Recognize your value: Take the time to identify your strengths and record your accomplishments. Write them down, so you have a clear sense of what you bring to the table.
2. Frame your value in terms of the impact of your work: Always focus on the results you’ve achieved—whether it’s saving time, increasing revenue, or improving processes. Show the tangible outcomes of your contributions.
3. Practice articulating your value - out loud!: The more you practice talking about your achievements, the more natural and confident you’ll feel. Remember, you’re not bragging—you’re stating facts and sharing useful information. 

By following these steps, you’ll confidently communicate your value, ensuring that your hard work and your contributions are better noticed. 

I hope today’s episode has helped you start to see the value you bring to your work—and that you feel a little more confident in your ability to talk about it. Remember, knowing your value and articulating it is a key part of your career growth, and it’s something that will serve you throughout your entire professional journey.

This week, I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on your accomplishments and practicing how to talk about them. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. And trust me, your contributions are worth recognizing, no matter where you are in your career journey.

In the next episode, we’ll dive into workplace dynamics and talk about how to navigate the power structures that are in place.  So if you’ve ever suspected there are some subtle power dynamics at play and wondered how to position yourself for success within your organization, you won’t want to miss it.

As always, if you want a career and life that makes you happy, be mindful of what you’re doing and take deliberate actions every day. Don’t just survive—take steps to thrive! I look forward to speaking with you again soon. Until next time, may you be healthy, wealthy, and wise!