Make Your Value Visible and the 3 Steps to Attract the Career Opportunities You Deserve
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 27
Written by Alicia Sutton, Executive Communication Coach
Alicia Sutton helps leaders master presence and impact in high-stakes moments. A former lawyer, professional actor and host of the You're Allowed podcast, she has led 400+ corporate programmes globally, specialising in helping experts go from suppressed to fully expressed.
Career opportunities don’t always knock, especially when others make their value more visible. The real shift comes when you learn to communicate your impact, not just deliver it.
For years, I believed working hard in my career would be enough, that the right people would eventually notice. I imagined a moment when someone would throw open my door and say, “We see how brilliant you are. Here’s the golden opportunity you’ve been waiting for.” The problem? That moment never came.
Meanwhile, I watched others, sometimes those less qualified, get ahead. I’d console myself with thoughts like, “I don’t want to be always banging on about my achievements.” I convinced myself that staying quiet was the more dignified approach. Looking too hungry? No thanks! Ambition was something to hide, not show.
But here’s what I didn’t understand: this ‘dignified’ approach was actually the thing keeping me stuck. The question becomes: does anyone actually know about the value you’re creating?
Why isn’t good work alone enough to get you noticed?
Many of us were raised to believe that if you do good work, opportunities will follow. For a long time, I bought into that idea. The truth is, at a certain point in your career, your expertise is assumed. It’s no longer what sets you apart. The people who move ahead aren’t necessarily more talented. They’ve simply learned to make their value visible.
Is your greatest strength holding you back?
I came to realise that sometimes our greatest strengths can quietly hold us back. For me, it was being amiable, collaborative, and a team player that everyone could depend on. Over-relying on that strength made me reluctant to stick my neck out, highlight my impact, or ask for what I wanted. It felt noble to keep my head down, yet it was also keeping me stuck.
My approach was well-intentioned and had served me well in building relationships and earning trust. The problem was using it as my only strategy. I was over-relying on it at the expense of developing other essential skills. At some point, I had to make a choice, learn to step outside my comfort zone, or continue to wait for opportunities that might never come.
What’s the real cost of staying silent?
The cost of remaining invisible in your career compounds over time, creating gaps that become increasingly difficult to bridge.
Compounding opportunities
While you wait to be discovered, others are walking through doors that lead to even bigger doors. The momentum gap keeps growing.
Resentment build-up
Seeing others advance, especially when their skills or experience don’t match yours, can lead to frustration and bitterness, impacting you and potentially your relationships.
Network invisibility
People can’t recommend you for opportunities if they don’t know what you’re capable of, or what you’re looking for.
Confidence erosion
The longer you stay quiet, the harder it can become to speak up. For many of us, self-doubt grows in the silence.
How do you get noticed for the right reasons?
It starts with articulating your value elegantly and consistently, sharing it as a ‘value-add’ rather than a ‘look-at-me.’ But visibility alone isn’t enough. Once you’re visible and showcasing impact, you still need to advocate for specific opportunities. Many talented people get stuck building visibility but never take that crucial step of asking for what they want.
Keen to try something that will give you immediate results? Here are three steps that take you from invisible to getting the opportunities you deserve.
1. Make visibility a habit, not an event
Making yourself visible isn’t about isolated moments; it’s about building a consistent habit.
We often wait until we’ve done something exceptional before sharing it. But that mindset has a downside: we overthink every opportunity, constantly questioning if our work is impressive enough, and in the meantime, we get completely out of practice. So when the real opportunity finally comes, we either oversell because we’ve waited so long that we overcook it, or we undersell because we’ve lost confidence in our own voice.
One conversation might get you noticed, but it’s the steady pattern of speaking up that cements your reputation over time. It keeps you top of mind when opportunities arise and makes others confident in putting your name forward. Visibility is not a one-time effort but an ongoing practice, and over time, it builds a reputation that speaks for you even when you’re not in the room.
This practice builds your ease and skill in leadership communication, articulating your value and self-advocacy. When you’re in the habit of regularly sharing what you’re working on and achieving, it becomes natural rather than performative.
2. Showcase impact, not just effort
Most people describe what they do, not the difference they make.
Communicating with intention means shaping the message for your audience. For example, stakeholders want to know the business results, while clients want to know how you make their lives easier. Framing your contributions this way helps others immediately see your value. Think of it this way: you’re not bragging; you’re translating your work into language that matters to the listener. It’s simply making it easier for others to understand how you can contribute. To achieve this, replace task-focused language with outcome-focused language.
Task-talk vs. impact-talk
Instead of listing your recent actions like:
“I undertook a review of existing processes and capacity reports, spent time training, monitored client calls, tracked timelines, reviewed key reports, and implemented a new project system.”
All good stuff, but is your impact evident? Try articulating the value of those endeavours:
“The new project system I developed has upskilled three junior team members to handle client calls independently, reduced project turnaround by 2 weeks, and freed up 30% more capacity for new business.”
You can tailor the structure to your own style, describing your own and others' input as needed. The point is to focus on the results and broader impact, rather than a laundry list of tasks. When you focus on outcomes rather than activities, you’re being informative rather than boastful.
When you shift from task to impact, even you might be struck by the true value you’re generating
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3. Ask boldly and get results
Visibility without advocacy is just noise.
How confident are you in asking for what you want? Wouldn’t it be nice if opportunities just landed in your lap? But here’s the reality: nobody is as invested in your success as you are.
We often expect others to just know what we want, but unless we voice it clearly, it’s likely to be overlooked. We tend to think the people around us are tracking our growth, noting our achievements, and planning our next opportunity. They’re not. They’re busy with their own priorities and challenges. If you want that promotion, that dream client, that speaking opportunity, that income increase, you need to make it known.
This doesn’t mean being pushy or demanding. It means being clear and direct about your goals. That’s self-advocacy, and it’s a skill you can build.
Asking for what we want can feel vulnerable. That’s a good sign. It shows it matters to you. What if the answer is no? Better to know now, then you can have a conversation about when, or have the data you need to make informed choices about your future.
Start making your value visible today
At the heart of this is a mindset shift: move from quietly hoping good work will get noticed, to consistently sharing the impact you make.
The magic happens when you treat it as value-sharing rather than self-promotion.
And remember to ask for what you want, not as an afterthought, but as a deliberate act of leadership. It’s an essential part of shaping the career you deserve.
Don’t let your brilliance stay hidden
If you’re ready to stop waiting and start shaping the career you truly want, you’re invited to book an executive coaching session. We’ll explore what’s keeping you overlooked and map out your next bold step.
Book your session at aliciajanesutton.com
Prefer to start with inspiration? Tune into the You’re Allowed podcast for real stories of bold career change, self-permission, and redefining success on your terms.
Read more from Alicia Sutton
Alicia Sutton, Executive Communication Coach
Alicia Sutton helps leaders master presence and impact in high-stakes moments. A former lawyer turned professional actor, executive coach and speaker, she bridges the corporate world with authentic performance. Host of the You're Allowed podcast where she explores stories of career transformation and authentic self-expression, Alicia has delivered over 400 corporate programmes and conference presentations globally. Rather than just teaching techniques, she helps uncover what's really holding leaders back. Her clients don't just get promoted — they get unleashed, with their most magnetic, influential communication naturally emerging.
