There’s a productivity truth nobody wants to say out loud: great work doesn’t always speak for itself.

That can feel discouraging at first, especially if you’ve been raised on the idea that effort and results are what matter most. But in any organization, the people who create the most opportunity tend to be the ones who are known. Known for how they think, how they operate, and what they’re aiming for next.

So let’s talk about visibility. Not as an ego play, but as a system. If you’ve done good work last year (and I’m sure you have), now’s the time to start building a visibility engine around it, and fully capitalize it this year.

Tip of the Week: In order to speed up professional growth, you'll need to create a weekly visibility ritual.

Enjoying this weekly read? Want to give and get something back? If this newsletter has helped you, here’s a simple way to pay it forward: share it with just one person.
As a thank-you, you’ll get access to my eBook: The 5 Hidden Habits Blocking Your Career Growth, packed with insights I’ve taught to over 70,000 professionals over the past 15 years.

✅ Actionable. ✅ Research-backed. ✅ Totally free (just for making a referral).

Use the referral link at the bottom of this email or click here:

The Theory Behind

Performance is not enough: the PIE model explained. Harvey Coleman’s PIE model breaks down career success into three parts: Performance (10%), Image (30%), and Exposure (60%). That breakdown surprises people, but it actually sounds about right. Performance is your baseline. Without it, nothing else matters. But performance alone rarely moves the needle on promotions or opportunities. Exposure (being seen by the right people, at the right time, for the right things) is where growth happens. If you don’t design for exposure, you’re leaving growth to chance.

Being known can be systematic. You don’t need to be loud. You don’t need to be everywhere. But you do need a system. The most effective visibility builders aren’t chasing every spotlight, they're focusing on anchoring their work in what matters and making sure it shows up in the right rooms. That might mean tying your work to the company’s strategic goals so leadership sees clear alignment. It could look like sending a short “Friday Wins” email to your manager, or connecting your outcomes to impact metrics regularly. Visibility systems are small rituals with outsized returns.

Visibility builds momentum and encourages others to support you. Here’s a serious career hack: share your goals. When you tell someone you want to build an app, speak at a conference, or win a specific award, they’re far more likely to think of you the moment an opportunity pops up. Sharing your goals makes them real, and it invites others to help. People don’t just support talent. They support ambition. And being open about what you care about gives others permission to champion you.

What I’ve Learned

I’ve seen both sides of this: what works and what doesn’t. What doesn’t work? Rushing it. I’ve seen people try to force visibility before they’ve built clarity, and it almost always backfires. You expose gaps, not strengths. What does work is creating a thoughtful rhythm - like reaching out to someone new every Friday, and asking them, “Who else do you think I should talk to?” Simple. Repeatable. Zero awkwardness.

Tie your work to strategy, and make it visible. The biggest unlock is connecting what you do to the company’s highest-level goals. If leadership keeps hearing your name in the context of what matters most, that’s more than self-promotion... that’s alignment. And when you layer on small habits like writing wins emails, connecting your updates to org priorities, or sharing lessons publicly, you build surface area for "luck" to come your way.

Make It Happen

1. Know the org’s highest priorities. Ask yourself: what does leadership care about this quarter? Then connect your work to those themes explicitly.

2. Send a “Friday Wins” note. It can be one line or five bullet points. Share what went well, what moved forward, and what impact it had. Send it to your manager, or your skip level.

3. Schedule a “Visibility Friday” habit. Reach out to one new person each week. Then ask them: “Who else do you think I should connect with?” You’ll build a network without forcing it.

4. Share your goals out loud. Tell your manager. Tell a mentor. Tell your team. It might feel weird, but it increases the odds of being remembered when opportunity strikes.

5. Document outcomes and lessons learned. Keep a running doc with wins, metrics, and insights. Not for show, but for recall. When review season hits, you’ll be glad you did.

6. Avoid visibility theater. If it feels forced, it probably is. Build visibility around substance, not spin. Focus on clarity and consistency, not polish.

Still slightly allergic to self-promotion,

Jorge Luis Pando

Say hi 👋 on LinkedIn or YouTube

PS: Wow, you made it all the way down here? You must really care about your personal development! Here are 3 ways I can help you grow even faster:

1. Get My Most Popular Course: Learn the exact system I’ve taught to 70,000+ professionals to take control of emails, meetings, and DMs, and reclaim 150+ hours in your year.

2. Join The Effective Collective: Our private membership is opening soon as invite-only. Get access to two best-seller courses, weekly coaching, and support to level up your performance without burning out.

3. Book Me for Coaching or a Workshop: Need help scaling yourself or your team? I offer 1:1 coaching and custom team sessions to help you work better, not harder.

Enjoying what you’re reading? Help a friend out… and you will win something for yourself too.