There’s a common five-word phrase that sounds humble and collaborative, but can undermine hard-earned impact and even damage performance reviews: “It was a team effort.”
You can also say:
“Everyone participated.” “A lot of the heavy lifting was done by others.” “I only played a small role.”
Of course, you should express your gratitude to your colleagues where it is due. The problem is that we tend to downplay our roles so much that our individual contributions disappear. If it’s all a team effort, what skills did you demonstrate? What results did you produce? Without concrete data about your individual performance, it’s much harder for your boss to justify a raise or promotion.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been an executive coach helping high-achievers at organizations like Google, Amazon, and JPMorgan build influence with powerful people. I’ve observed that people who come out of performance appraisal season, where they have the most opportunity, actively communicate the value of their work. They don’t just want their boss to decipher and remember what they accomplished.
You can still be fair and generous to others. But instead of claiming “it was a team effort” and leaving it at that, advocate for yourself by following these strategies in performance review conversations and throughout the year.
1. Emphasize decision making
Even if the project was a collaboration, someone had to choose what to prioritize, how to approach planning, and how to respond when circumstances changed.
Clarify your role in the choices that drove the group’s actions, or identify what hurdles you personally cleared. This significantly demonstrates judgment and problem-solving, two skills that are essential for assuming higher levels of responsibility.
This may sound like this:
“We made the final decision to delay one component of the launch of Product 2 so that we could bring Product 1 to market faster.” “When costs started creeping up, I recommended an audit of our expenses, which resulted in $10,000 in savings.” “The most difficult part was getting buy-in from faculty. We decided to host focus groups to build support before the certification deadline.”
2. Show before and after
Compare what you did on your most recent project to what you worked on 6 or 12 months ago. Comparing your own past performance will help your boss understand your growth.
For example, explain how your scope or level of influence has expanded. Perhaps you’re managing a large account, presenting work directly to executives, or setting project strategy.
This may sound like this:
“I’ve expanded beyond just preparing analytics to leading conversations with business unit leaders across clinical and operational teams.” “In the last quarter, we’ve hired three new team members, which means we’ve doubled our capacity.” “You may remember this time last year I was overseeing one event, but now I’m overseeing our entire portfolio.”
3. Refers to tangible assets
Refer to something specific you created that added value to your team’s efforts. Maybe you’ve built dashboards, documented processes, or designed templates.
This proves that your efforts will have a long-term impact on your team’s operations. Explain how this asset will help everyone work faster, more productively, or more consistently in the future.
This may sound like this:
“We are proud of the new system we have put in place to track compliance issues, which has already saved us time in going back and forth through legal processes.” “It has been challenging, but we have standardized our entire monthly reporting process, so we now have a clearer picture of our program’s success.” “It was a great exercise to create briefing materials for board meetings, which have been distributed to all senior management members since last month.”
4. References to third parties
I’ve seen that people tend to take seriously those who are recommended to them. Mention when a coworker specifically asked you for your opinion, an executive nominated you for an initiative, or someone praised your efforts. It’s proof that your individual contribution stands out within the larger project.
This may sound like this:
“It meant a lot that the finance director asked for my opinion before finalizing the budget, and we were able to negotiate more grants.” “After the presentation, the client called me aside and said he was really impressed with our due diligence, and I think that helped seal the deal.” “Several colleagues from other teams have started coming to me directly for guidance on this, which has increased visibility across the department.”
Your performance review is one of the most important career moments of the year. Before then, and throughout the year, take advantage of the opportunities you have to demonstrate your accomplishments to your boss and make the case for better projects and more funding.
Melody Wilding, LMSW, is an executive coach, professor of human behavior, and author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge. Get her free training “5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader” here.
