Welcome back to Corporate It Girl.Rise, shine, and make them remember you.Hello, everyone.I am Fatima from Fatchas Coaching, an ECF-certified coach and mentor with over 23 years of corporate experience as a woman of color.
And today, we are diving into a step that's often overlooked but can make a massive difference in your career, reflecting on and tracking your wins.
So I know from personal experience that a day, today, Grind, can make it feel like you're just getting by.
And let's be honest, many of us are so busy managing our to-do lists, meetings, deadlines, and juggling responsibilities that we don't even pause to acknowledge the incredible work we are putting in.
But here's the thing, when you don't take time to capture your achievements, you are essentially giving away your power.It's like writing a beautiful story but never sharing it with anyone.
So, bear with me today, we are going to talk about building an achievement tracker of your accomplishments grounded in facts, numbers, and real impact.This is just not about feeling good.It's about being strategic.
So if you wanna be a corporate it girl, you need to learn how to be strategic. So grab your notebook, find a cozy spot, get some tea or coffee, and let's dig in into why tracking your wins matters and how you can start doing it today.
So let's start with why.So you will get something of my podcast.I will always start with the why, so you know why you're doing things that I'm asking you to do and why you should be doing it if you want to achieve like a big corporate career.
So, why tracking your achievement is so important?In a corporate setting, your contributions are often just one piece of one big large puzzle. And it's easy for individual efforts to get lost in all that noise.
But by keeping a record of your wins, you are creating a tangible document that shows your value, a portfolio of your impact that you can bring to reviews, meetings, and even job interviews. Yeah, I do love the word portfolio.
It's like, you know how the supermodels always have a portfolio before they do a catwalk?Well, see it like something like that.You need your own portfolio. But let's get real for a moment.
When we don't document our successes, we are basically handing over control of our story to someone else.And while we'd love to think our hard work will always be noticed, the truth is, people are busy.
Managers are busy, teammates are busy, and even clients are juggling their own challenges.And it's easy for your contributions to slip under the radar if you don't actively bring them to the light.
So, for years, I made the same mistake, you know, of not tracking my accomplishments.I'd work hard, pour my heart into the projects and just assume it would be noticed.
But when it came time for reviews, I found myself struggling to remember the specifics.And you know what?I wasn't alone. Many of the women I coach tell me the same thing.They just did the work and didn't think twice about it.But here is the truth.
Your achievements are worth more than a passing glass.And if you're not taking the time to record them, they're just going to fade into the background. So let me share a story with you.I once worked with a client named Tiana.
She was phenomenal, very smart, dedicated, a total team player, you know, the ideal colleague.Every day, Tiana went above and beyond for her team.
She'd spend extra hours, take on additional responsibilities, and find ways to make projects more efficient. But when it came time for her yearly review, she barely knew where to start.Tiana hadn't tracked her work or her accomplishments.
To her, it was just doing my job. So in our different coaching sessions, we went back through the year because I do love coaching women.
That's one of the things that gives me, you know, motivation and energy and why I started this podcast, because I love helping them get over these little obstacles to really succeed and get their dreams through.
So during our coaching sessions, we dug into her projects.So we looked at the outcomes and started putting together a list.It turned out she'd improved productivity by 20%.Imagine 20%.
saved the team countless hours with process improvements, and even brought in new clients through her network.But none of this was mentioned in her previous reviews, because she hadn't made a habit of tracking her wins.
So when she went into her reviewery that year, Tiana was ready.She brought her list, shared her real metrics, and demonstrated her impact with confidence.
Her manager was impressed, not just with the work, but with the clarity and preparation she brought to the conversation.And you know what?She got the promotion she deserved.
This happened because she took the time to reflect, document, and own her achievements. So now it's time for you to create your own achievement tracker.
Think really of this as your personal portfolio of accomplishments, a record of the value you bring, packed up by facts and numbers.
And if you want to visualize it, visualize it like a portfolio for a supermodel, but this time it's for the corporate it girl.So let's start with step one.Start with a simple list.Grab a piece of paper or open a document. Just start listing.
Don't worry about the details yet.Write down any project, any challenge or task where you know you made a difference. Don't filter yourself.Please, for the love of all that's holy, don't filter yourself.
This could be as big as leading a major project or as small as finding a more efficient way to organize the files for the team.Every contribution counts.Okay?Step two, focus on impact and metrics.
Once you have your list, go through each item and ask yourself, what was the outcome?What value did I add?Did you help increase sales, save time, improve customer experience?Did you solve a problem that no one else could?
Just write down the numbers wherever possible. Metrics are powerful because they show your impact in concrete terms.For example, instead of saying, hmm, I helped with customer retention, just say, I increased customer attention by 50%.
You see how numbers give way to your story?You just need to add them.It helps a lot.Step three, add value statements. Now, take each accomplishment and ask yourself, what value did this bring to the team or to the company?
Did it help achieve a larger goal?Did it create more efficiency, save money, or build stronger client relationships?Adding a value statement helps you see not only what you did, but why it mattered.
This is critical, because when you can connect your work to the company goals, you are showing that you understand the bigger picture. So let me share another story from another of my coaching clients.I will call her this time Amara.
And she worked in marketing.Amara was fantastic at her job.She ran campaigns that consistently brings new customers.But in her reviews, she'd say things like, oh, I worked on campaign X or I led the team for project Y. She thought it sounded fine.
But the thing is, there were no context and no impact.So during our coaching sessions, I worked with her and we started digging into her numbers.
It turned out, listen well, that her campaigns had driven a 30% increase in website traffic, led to a 20% boost in conversions, and reduced customer acquisition costs by 15%.
By quantifying her work, Amara wasn't just showing her manager what she did, she was showing the value she added to the company's goal.
The next time Amara went into her review, she brought those metrics with her and made it clear how her work was directly impacting revenue.Her manager was thrilled, and for the first time, Amara felt seen.
It was a reminder that tracking your work with numbers isn't just about getting recognition, it's about being intentional with your career. So now that you have a process for tracking your wins, let's talk about making it a habit.
Reflection doesn't need to be a huge task.It can be as simple as spending 5 minutes each week just writing down what you accomplished and how it contributed. In fact, I recommend creating somewhere a kind of success folder, a success notebook.
Every time you complete a project, receive positive feedback or solve a problem, add it to this folder.By the end of the year, you'll have a detailed record of everything you've achieved. This isn't just about reviews, you know.
It's also about building a mindset of growth and celebration.Every accomplishment, big or small, is worth acknowledgement and is worth to be celebrated.
By taking time to reflect, you are recognizing your own value and setting yourself up for future success. So, as we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with this.And it's important, just write it down somewhere.
Your achievements are worth documenting, worth celebrating and worth sharing.When you start tracking your wins, you are taking ownership of your career.
This isn't just about feeling good, it's about knowing your worth and having the evidence to back it up. So thank you so much for joining me on corporate it girl, rise, shine, and make them remember you.
Don't forget, I do have a website, www.fightyou.com, where you can find a free guide with all this knowledge already in it.It can help you really prepare for your review.Remember, this journey is about owning your impact one step at a time.
Start tracking your achievements today because you're building a foundation for the recognition and growth you deserve. Lots and lots of love.See you next time.
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