The Mistake That Most People Make When Trying to Advance Their Career (I did this too!)

If I could go back in time and give 30-something me one piece of advice, it would be this:

Stop obsessing over how much you’re doing—and start focusing on the impact of what you’re doing.

It’s super easy as a high achiever (or just someone who cares deeply about doing a good job) to get caught up in the quantity of work we’re doing.

We focus on it constantly. We ruminate on how much we’re juggling, how many fires we’re putting out, how many questions we answer, how many tasks we follow up on… And we really believe the place might fall apart if we ever leave. (That part might actually be true 🙂.)

So when we talk about our value—especially during performance reviews—we rattle off our to-do lists like a badge of honor. And it makes sense. Most of us care deeply about doing a good job and so naturally that translates into wanting to "do more". We think that the more we do, the better we are at our jobs.

But you've probably noticed that even though you are doing SO MUCH, you often feel overlooked and under recognized for this work. I know I sure did. And I felt this way for a very long time.

And that’s the confusing part. “If I’m doing SO much—basically everything—why am I not being recognized?”

As I said, I know this feeling well. I lived in it for the first two decades of my career.

Eventually, I realized something that changed everything:

Getting ahead isn’t about how much you’re doing—it’s about the impact of what you’re doing.

It’s about whether your work is tied to results that matter—like driving revenue, reducing costs, improving efficiency, or influencing key decisions.

That’s the kind of work leadership notices. Not inbox zero. Not staying late. Not being “the reliable one.”

And the thing is, this requirement isn't always articulated. And worse, impact can be difficult to measure and even agree upon in terms of what it actually means.

This is why it's SO important to align with your manager or whomever is responsible for your career advancement, on what they actually look at when giving promotions.

What's important to them? What's important to the company? What will actually set you apart from others?

Once you've gotten this information, make sure that everything you do can be mapped back to that impact.

And the next time you’re staring down your task list looking at all of the things you "have to do", do a ruthless prioritization exercise and ask yourself, "Which of these things actually moves the needle on something that matters to the business—and aligns with the impact that matters to my company?"

The more you show up in this way, the more undeniable your value becomes.