My daughter knew exactly which toy she wanted.
She’d seen it online. Talked about it for weeks. Saved her allowance. She was ready.
But when we got to the store and stood in front of the toy aisle—the moment of truth—she froze.
I asked, “Okay, which one is it?”
She scanned the shelves. Her eyes widened. Then came the response I didn’t expect:
“I don’t remember.”
What? This was the toy she’d longed for. How could she not know now, at the most important time?
Too many choices. Too much stimulation. Her mind just went blank.
And I get it. Because I’ve had that same moment at work.
A leader asks, “What have you been working on lately?”
I know I’ve done good work. I’ve delivered. I’ve moved the needle.
But in that moment?
Blank.
Why Visibility Starts With You
Before you can think about improving your visibility to others, you have to improve your visibility to yourself.
That blank feeling doesn’t mean you haven’t made an impact. It means you haven’t been tracking it in a way that sticks.
And that tracking matters more than you think.
“Recognizing small successes activates the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and reinforcing positive behavior… creating a positive feedback loop of success and satisfaction.”
— Wang et al., 2017, via Psychology Today
This is how you sharpen self-awareness, build momentum, and stay ready for high-stakes conversations without having to spin or sell anything.
The Weekly Win Practice
Each week, I ask myself one simple question:
What’s one professional win from this week, and why did it matter?
Not the biggest win. Not the most visible. Just something that moved a conversation, decision, or project forward.
And I write it down.
One of the teams I support takes a similar approach. In their weekly meeting, everyone shares a professional goal. No parameters, no pressure. It might be something small, like unblocking a request or kicking off a new project.
That ritual creates focus and invites reflection. Most importantly, it trains people to notice their own progress.
Not sure what counts as a win? Here’s a simple guide:
- Solved a problem
- Sped up a process
- Shifted a conversation
- Helped someone else succeed
If it made something work better or someone work smarter, it’s worth capturing.
Why It Works (Even If No One Sees It)
This small weekly habit does three important things:
- It helps you pay attention to value, not just volume.
- It gives you a running list of impact stories you can use anytime.
- It keeps you from freezing when someone asks for an update.
There’s a name for what happens when you start noticing something and suddenly see it everywhere. It’s called frequency illusion.
That’s what happened after my daughter chose her doll. We brought it home, and then I saw it everywhere—other kids had it at school, it showed up in cartoons, even coloring books. It wasn’t new. I had just tuned in.
And here’s the part that really stuck with me. Once she had the doll, she could tell you everything about it. The name. The accessories. The episodes. The whole world opened up after the choice was made.
Our work is the same.
Once you start reflecting, you notice more. When you write down a win, others come into focus. These moments were already happening. The habit just helps you catch them and make sense of their value.
Be Ready When the Moment Comes
You don’t get a slide deck for hallway conversations.
You don’t get to prep for that Slack message from your VP.
That’s where this practice makes the difference.
When someone asks for a quick update, you won’t fumble through tasks. You’ll have something crisp and strategic to say:
“One win this week—I helped align our messaging across product and sales. It smoothed out a bottleneck and kept the launch on track.”
And the more consistently you do this, the more others start to notice.
You become the person who always has a clear, relevant update. The person who thinks in terms of outcomes, not just activity. That’s the kind of marketer leaders remember when it’s time to choose a voice in the room.
This Is Your Promotion Packet in Progress
When review season rolls around, you won’t be staring at a blank form or trying to remember what you did six months ago.
You’ll have a record of real contributions, each one tied to results, relationships, or momentum.
This kind of fluency is not about ego. It’s about equity.
It’s how you make your work visible in the rooms where it matters.
You Don’t Need to Perform. You Just Need to Notice.
Internal marketers are often the ones helping everyone else shine.
But if you want to be seen as strategic, not just supportive, you need a way to narrate your own value.
Start with this:
What’s one win from this week, and why did it matter?
Say it out loud. Write it down. Share it with your team.
Then do it again next week.
That’s visibility without the vanity.
FAQ Section
What is the frequency illusion and how does it relate to visibility?
The frequency illusion is when something you’ve recently noticed or thought about starts appearing everywhere. It relates to visibility because once you start tracking your wins, you’ll begin noticing more of them—reinforcing your impact.
Why should internal marketers track their weekly wins?
Tracking weekly wins builds self-awareness, provides ready-made talking points, and helps marketers connect their work to business value, especially in fast-moving or cross-functional environments.
How can I start a visibility habit with my team?
Try asking everyone in your next team meeting: “What’s one win from this week, and why did it matter?” Keep it casual and consistent—it builds reflection without adding pressure.
