The Fairy Tale of ‘Work Speaks for Itself’ and How To Escape
We need to learn and get used to speak about our work. In former times work spoke for itself, but this is not any longer true.
Why did this change, and what's different? And especially what to do instead?
In former times, we were taught to be humble. Speaking about our work is bragging.
Back then, we had different values. The values were working loyalty, craftsmanship, and quiet dedication. People were rewarded for quiet excellence.
When managers saw the work, it was like everybody was nodding silently. You were promoted because companies rewarded culture-fit and longevity.
But that era is gone.
We live in the era of advanced capitalism and individualism. The values changed to Cost-cutting, optimisation-driven organisations and “Show me the KPI” cultures.
KPIs decide everything.
Why should they promote you, lose their best horse in the barn, and pay more? Salaries are seen as costs to optimise, not investments to grow.
Promotions happen when managers see it as compelling because they could lose you. Then the best horse is gone. This awareness increases the pressure.
It's a need to talk about your work and results. You can speak up about your results without bragging — if you know how.
Here are 5 tactics on how to speak about work without bragging.
1. Share Outcomes, Not Effort
The key to all tactics is not to talk directly about yourself. In communication, it is always like this: Any "I" or "You" is some kind of finger pointing.
That said, we need to avoid "I" or use it carefully. However, when talking about results, we often tend to share our effort, for example, the long hours, weekends, etc.
Instead of:
❌ “I worked really hard on this.”
Say:
✅ “We reduced turnaround time by 30% by simplifying the process.”
More examples:
- ❌ “I put in a lot of hours to get this done.”
✅ “We delivered the project ahead of schedule, saving 10% on budget.” - ❌ “I stayed late every night this week.”
✅ “We cleared the backlog and restored our SLA to 99%.” - ❌ “I gave it my all to help the customer.”
✅ “We retained the customer, avoiding a $200k churn risk.”
Do you see and feel the plot twist in the message? You gain the instant attention of the manager. People value impact, not hours.
You will say: "This is good, but how to see my contribution?" Good point. Let's move on.
2. Use “We” to Frame Individual Contribution
Today, we rarely work alone and on our own. It's always a team effort and result. Hence, we described the team result and it's time to frame your contribution.
Instead of:
❌ “I fixed the issue.”
Say:
✅ “The team avoided escalation because I flagged and solved the issue early.”
More examples:
- ❌ “I ran the meeting.”
✅ “We aligned on next steps thanks to the agenda I put together.” - ❌ “I handled the client’s questions.”
✅ “The client left confident in our solution after I addressed their concerns.” - ❌ “I designed the whole thing myself.”
✅ “We delivered a better experience thanks to the design I drafted and refined with feedback.”
Again, here we see how you nicely frame the result but emphasise your role.
Yes, your manager will sense that you push. This is the compelling flag I mentioned earlier.
You stay humble while making your role clear.
3. Report Facts, Not Feelings
People often address feelings. Yes, there are sacrifices and prices you personally paid to accomplish things.
Instead of:
❌ “I’m proud of what I did.”
Say:
✅ “This change saved us $12,000 last quarter.”
More examples:
- ❌ “I’m happy with the result.”
✅ “The customer gave a 9/10 satisfaction rating on our delivery.” - ❌ “I think it went really well.”
✅ “We signed the renewal at 105% of the previous contract.” - ❌ “I feel great about my presentation.”
✅ “Leadership approved the proposal without revisions.”
Facts are always about numbers. Numbers and results speak louder than self-praise.
4. Wrap Achievements in Gratitude
The highest level of framing is to pack your own contribution in praise or gratitude. You thank others, but you mention yourself. Everybody is praised.
Instead of:
❌ “I led the project.”
Say:
✅ “Thanks to everyone’s support. I'm grateful for being able to lead the project and that we delivered it 2 weeks early.”
More examples:
- ❌ “I solved the technical issue.”
✅ “With everyone’s input, I was able to solve the technical issue quickly.” - ❌ “I secured the budget.”
✅ “Appreciate the team’s help — I secured the budget for our next phase.” - ❌ “I finished all the deliverables.”
✅ “Thanks to good collaboration, all deliverables are complete.”
In today's world, everything is a team effort.
Acknowledge others while keeping yourself visible.
5. Make It About the Next Step
Till now, we have discussed only results. One missing perspective is the future. Always ask yourself, "What is the next step?"
You can't imagine how many people don't care. "It's not my job," or "It's not my responsibility." You often hear these sentences.
Instead of:
❌ “I finished the report.”
Say:
✅ “The report’s done — here are the next decisions we can make based on the findings.”
More examples:
- ❌ “I completed the dashboard.”
✅ “The dashboard is ready — here’s how it can help us monitor progress going forward.” - ❌ “I sent the draft to everyone.”
✅ “Draft sent — please review by Thursday so we can finalize next week.” - ❌ “I delivered the training.”
✅ “Training delivered — participants are now ready to implement the process starting Monday.”
Managers love to see that one problem was taken off their desk. And you send the message "I'll take care of it."
🔚 Summary
In former times, work spoke for itself because people and companies shared different values, like loyalty, or craftsmanship. Today, we live in a optimisation or KPI world.
Talking about your work is not bragging. It is a necessity because you share your result that helps the organisation. This is a two fold information managers need: 1. what improved and 2. who did it. Use the 5 tactics to frame your contribution without sounding braggy. This paves the road to career success.