The Visibility Paradox: Why the leaders who get noticed most aren’t the ones trying hardest to be seen

Why do some talented people get overlooked while others seem to attract every opportunity? In this episode, Stacey and Cade explore why great work doesn't always speak for itself and how visibility, not self-promotion, can shape career growth.

They unpack the difference between promoting yourself and promoting your work, discuss Harvey Coleman's exposure framework, and examine research showing why self-promotion carries different consequences for women.

You'll also learn three practical strategies for making your contributions easier to recognize without feeling inauthentic: craft a clear sentence about your work, share simple updates, and intentionally recognize the contributions of others.

5 key takeaways

Great work needs visibility to create opportunitiesPromote the work, not yourselfExposure helps people recognize and trust your contributionsSelf-promotion can carry a higher social cost for womenSimple, factual updates make your impact easier to see

Chapters

00:00 Why great work goes unnoticed

05:49 The myth that work speaks for itself

09:45 Visibility isn't the same as self-promotion

12:39 Why visibility is harder for women

17:15 Promote the work, not yourself

21:20 Three ways to make your work visible