Performance review season: Communicating Your Value

Hard work pays off, but it doesn’t necessarily speak for itself. You have to be able to articulate your value because the answer to the question: “Doesn’t the company know how hard I work?” is “Probably not.”

Advocating for yourself starts with your communication skills. You don’t need to brag about what you’ve accomplished, but you do need to realize that everyone (including your manager, CEO, Founder, etc…) is busy. As long as a job is getting done no one looks too closely at the effort behind how it got done. 

It’s on you to articulate how you affected the outcome. 

As you can tell in the video I get very passionate talking about this particular communication skill. There are a lot of things out my control, but I can always control my messaging and the way I talk about my value and success. 

If you struggle talking about your successes I get it. My parents taught me that you didn’t need to tell anyone how hard you worked because hard work would get noticed. In a corporate setting hard work absolutely gets noticed… and then gets rewarded with more work, not necessarily more pay.

Your communication skills make a big difference. Here are three things I want you to consider in communicating your value.

1. “Working hard” doesn’t have a $ sign next to it, at least not for your company. In other words, saying you “work hard” doesn’t mean anything to your manager. It’s expected you’ll work hard. Highlight your value by putting a number on that hard work when possible. For example: “I’ve been working hard and my sales are up 20% from last year.”
2. Be specific in communicating your success. Even when there’s plenty of evidence you’re getting the job done, it doesn’t hurt to remind your manager/boss how your efforts affect the overall company. You didn’t just finish the project. You finished the project ahead of schedule or on a tight deadline.
3. Communicate consistently. Conversations about performance should take place every day not once a year as part of your review. If you are counting on your performance review to make you feel valued, you’re putting all your eggs in one basket. It is an important conversation but it’s not the only one you should be having. Stay on the radar all year long by delivering Success Statements and drawing a direct correlation to your efforts and the success of the company.

We all know people who could benefit from sharing less, but if you aren’t currently talking about any of your accomplishments you would benefit from sharing more. Feeling more valued at work starts with conveying the value you bring.