Positive Feedback Documentation

💎 How To Track Your Impact (+ free Notion templates). How to document your small and big wins, visualize your work and the incredible impact you've made ↓ We often assume that good work speaks for itself. If we just work hard enough, our work will get noticed and we will be elevated across our career ladder. Yet more often than not, your achievements will get lost somewhere between reorg efforts, new priorities, abandoned initiatives and urgent deadlines. Managers change all the time. You might have a strong relationship with your manager already, but never get a chance to move up the ladder because they have already moved to another team. A new manager, despite all your efforts, often won’t be able to promote you as an internal policy might block any new promotions in their first 6 or 12 months. So you’ll have to start over again. A good way to push back is to have a “brag document” — a running document that lists your small and big achievements, feedback from your managers and colleagues, screenshots of your appraisals and recommendations, along with lessons you’ve learned. It also builds confidence in your abilities and helps you better see your career trajectory. Useful things to include: 🧠 New skills you’ve learned 🏅 New certificates you’ve acquired ⏱️ Impactful projects you’ve leaunched 🧪 Experiments or A/B tests you’ve initiated 🧭 Product metrics you’ve moved 👋 Onboarding sessions you helped with 🚀 Changes you’ve initiated 🗣️ Workshops you’ve conducted 🧑🏫 Mentoring sessions you’ve coached 🌟 Endorsements you’ve received 🤝 Collaboration wins across departments 🧹 How you’ve dealt with design debt 📦 Successful scoping and getting buy-in 🛠️ Tools or systems you’ve introduced 🔧 Bugs or issues you proactively resolved 📣 Coordinating communication in teams 🔮 Lessons you’ve learned 🧯 Conflicts you’ve resolved There are plenty of things that can go in such a document. Typically it’s a simple Notion page or a Google Doc that you set up once and keep updating regularly. One useful habit that can help there is to always update the document after a retrospective session with your team and around a month later. The reason for that is that you’ll need to accumulate and add concrete evidence and results of the impact of your work. Typically business metrics are lagging metrics, so it will take a while until you get some results. One word of caution: it doesn’t work well if you update in huge and bulky batches as memories become a bit blurry and details get lost. Also, don’t think just about the design work — work also happens outside of the design work as we saw in the list above. Also, as Stephen Kernan noted once, whenever possible, try linking your accomplishments to the career ladder one level above your current role. If you can prove that you’ve been performing at the next level for past 3-6 months, you will make the case for your promotion strong and more obvious. (Useful templates in the comments below ↓)

📣Annual review season is here—and if you don’t advocate for yourself, who will? Your achievements deserve the spotlight, and the best way to get ahead is to come prepared. Here’s my tried-and-true framework for making your annual review rock: 1️⃣ Collect Your Kudos: Keep a file of positive feedback—emails, notes, or messages from colleagues and clients. These stories showcase your impact on others and your ability to collaborate. 2️⃣ Quantify Your Value: Track your contributions with clear, data-driven results. What projects did you move forward? Where did you save time, money, or resources? Bring specifics. 3️⃣ Highlight Your Growth: Document ways you’ve stretched beyond your comfort zone. What new skills have you learned? How have you contributed to the bigger picture? 🙌 Pro tip: Tie everything together with a clear theme. For example: - “This year, I thrived in ambiguous situations by…” - “I expanded my skill set by…” Let AI help you organize your bullet points and craft a compelling narrative. Do your homework, and don’t be afraid to promote yourself! #CareerDevelopment #PerformanceReview #PersonalBranding

#UnderTheHood DO YOU NEED A BRAG DOCUMENT? When someone first told me about creating a "brag document," I wasn’t sold. It felt a bit too self-promoting. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized its real value. In the rush of day-to-day work, we often forget what we’ve accomplished—and sometimes, our managers do too. Having a place to track your wins, skills, and contributions can be a powerful tool, not just for recognition but for your own growth. A brag document is a personal record of your achievements, ready for performance reviews, interviews, career discussions, or even just reflecting on your goals. It’s a clear, structured way to capture your progress and remind yourself (and others) of the value you bring. HOW TO CREATE ONE Start by structuring your document—this will make it easier to update regularly. Sections can include: Major projects or initiatives: What big tasks did you complete, and what impact did they have? Quantifiable results: Whether it's revenue growth, cost savings, or efficiency improvements, numbers speak volumes. Skills developed: Include new skills, tools you’ve mastered, or leadership roles you've taken on. Positive feedback: Log praise from clients, colleagues, or managers. It’s easy to forget the positive words you’ve received. Challenges overcome: Sometimes, the obstacles you navigate show just as much value as the wins themselves. Make it a habit to update this document every two weeks. Carve out a few minutes to reflect on recent achievements, projects, or feedback. Keep it factual and specific. This regular check-in not only keeps your document current but also helps you stay mindful of your growth. WHY IT MATTERS What really makes a brag document valuable is its power to shift your mindset. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget the progress you’re making. Having a document that showcases your growth not only boosts your confidence but also serves as a motivational tool. You see the trajectory of your impact, and it reinforces the fact that you’re moving forward—even when things feel stagnant. And let’s be real: we often expect others to recognize our contributions, but in reality, it’s up to us to advocate for ourselves. A brag document equips you with tangible evidence of your contributions, helping you articulate your worth in a way that’s clear and grounded. When you have that data, you can approach career conversations—whether it's a promotion or a new role—with clarity and conviction. So, what do you think? Could keeping a brag document be the tool you need to own your success, or does it still feel too self-promotional? I’d love to hear your thoughts! For more insights on success in the workplace, please check out our new book, HeadStart: Unlock the Secrets to Career Success, co-authored with Sunder Ramachandran. You can order on Amazon: https://lnkd.in/gqKU4yRn"