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Nice Work: Be your own champion
Sara Wachter-Boettcher
December 19, 2022
🥳 Thank you for being part of the Active Voice community—especially all of you who worked with us in 2022! We deeply appreciate your support and feedback. Stay tuned for lots of new stuff from us in the new year!
Hey there,
Reorgs. Hiring freezes. Layoffs. Yikes. This is not the vibe anyone wants as the holidays start, but I know the economy is on your minds—it’s been coming up left and right in client calls recently.
I survived one round of layoffs, but I’m worried more are coming.
My company is toxic, but I’m scared I won’t find anything better.
My boss told me we’re “tightening the belt,” and I’m terrified for my team.
I won’t tell you not to be nervous right now. I don’t know what’s coming, either. But I do know this: Panic won’t help a damn thing.
That’s what I’m seeing a lot of right now. I’ve had people tell me that they can’t say “no” to a stakeholder or push back against an unreasonable deadline anymore. That they have to pile more onto their plates, hustle harder, be even more productive to keep their jobs secure.
This worries me—especially because I know so many of you just barely crawled out of a pit of burnout this year. It’s a really risky time to ignore your boundaries and “push through.”
So if you’re feeling this pressure, I’d like to offer an alternative perspective—three of them, actually:
You don’t have to people-please to prove your value. Running around and trying to do everything for everyone often feels like the path to job security. But the truth is, when we spend all our time being “helpful” and doing things for others, our work can end up flying under the radar, rather than being seen as essential.
You have a perspective your organization needs. No one else knows what you know. They can’t—because their background, identity, and experiences are different than yours. So think about the perspective you bring to your work. What do you notice that others tend to miss? What’s an opinion you’ve been holding back from sharing? The more comfortable you get speaking up and offering your POV, the easier it’ll be for others to see just how much you have to offer.
It’s OK to be your own champion. I often hear people say things like, “I just want my work to speak for itself.” I agree, that sounds great—but unfortunately, it won’t always happen. Your boss might be overloaded or checked out. Your work might cross a lot of different product areas, making it hard for others to see the full picture. Your leadership team might not understand what your discipline does. Ultimately, the only person who truly knows what you’ve accomplished is you. When you get comfortable being your own champion, you prevent someone else from writing your story for you.
Whatever you have planned for the rest of the year, I hope you’ll spend some time considering these perspectives—and getting some rest. You deserve it. We all do.
See you in 2023!
—Sara
On the reading list
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